Decline of the Reptiles – 13 Songs For The Rodeo Grrls (2010)

With a lineage that includes legendary Sydney bands ME-262, Trans Love Energies, the Fifth Estate, the Visitors and the Soul Movers, Decline Of The Reptiles have re-emerged from a long sleep to stake a fresh claim as Australian rock and roll music’s most intriguing outfit.

Born on the sweaty inner-city pub circuit in 1982, the first version of the band spawned a single (“What I Feel”) and two EPs (“The Hammer Speaks”, “Too Much …Armour, Not Enough Brains”) before going into hibernation five years later. The inclusion of their “Don’t Look Down” on the first “Do The Pop!” retrospective collection prompted a re-group in 2009 with a re-tooled rhythm section.

A year of constant gigging followed before the Reptiles recorded their debut long-player, “13 Songs For The Rodeo Grrls”.

Sounding like the blues-rock bastard offspring of the “Raw Power” Stooges, the Doors and the Stones, this is an album that’s stunning in both its broad musical vision and sonic intensity.