Dwarves - The Dwarves Invented Rock & Roll (2014)

The Dwarves are a hideous bunch of scumbags with no redeeming qualities. They are filthy, violent, sexually inappropriate monsters who have no concern for their fellow man. If offensive punk rock were illegal — which it surely should be — The Dwarves would be serving thousands of consecutive life sentences. Which, I suppose, is why we love them.

The Dwarves Invented Rock and Roll is the brand new studio album from the punk legends, and it spans every style they’ve ever played and more. The LP explores the incredibly diverse territories of all their previous records, from the grinding dissonance of Blood Guts & Pussy to the catchy, polished pop punk of Come Clean, and everything in between. They’ve even added some new sounds, with songs like “Gentleman Blag” and “Armageddon Party” being almost unrecognizable as Dwarves tunes. The final track, “Unpredictable,” closes things out with a knowing nod to the rest of the tracklist, proving conclusively that Blag Dahlia can still keep us on our toes.

Regardless of the genre hopping throughout, the album oozes hardcore fury. “Hate Rock” and “Bleed Alright” kick you in the face at the start, and you’ll be laughing and spitting out teeth for the rest of the record. The goofy pop tracks — “Trailer Trash,” “Sluts of the USA,” and “Fun To Try” — offer hysterical interludes from the savagery, but the overall record is still punk as fuck. “Kings of The World,” “Dead on the Floor,” and “Get Up & Get High” provide some of the hardest hitting rock of the album.

Invented Rock and Roll starts to wind down with one of the strongest tracks of the record, the country-tinged “Anything You Want.” The album, much like The Dwarves’ live shows, is a pummeling combination of brutality and hilarity, and it ends on a high note. Stream it in full above.