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Album Details

• Artist: Say Bok Gwai
• Album: Chink In The Armor
• Label: Edgetone
• Year of Release: 2008
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2008-07-04

"Whitey Comin Down," the first of thirty one tracks, kicks things off with an insane burst of Halo of Flies-esque gritty punk mixed with Boredoms type jittery rhythms. By the time the second song "Chow Fun Chow Not so fun" begins its death metal growl, you are lost as to what to expect next from Say Bok Gwai. "Chink in the Armor" is a snotty set that throws any and all styles at the wall, and collects the drippings. As you might expect with 31 tracks to deal with, there is as much dross as there are gems, and some songs that are on the line lose out because of Alex Yeung's childlike screech, vocals that will never win you over.
What ultimately saves the record is its grounding in punk and metal chord progressions. The guitar (also Yeung)  is never less than over-amped and distorted, even on jazz fusion lines such as those in "Kill Beauty." "Pook Guy Bush" and "Handbook" are old school thrash tunes in which drummer Andre Custodio finally earns his spotlight in the duo, and proves to bam bam with Grant Hart like righteousness.
There are plenty of other goodies, mostly the short fast and snotty punk of "Try Soap and Water," "Eatmenow" and "Year of the Cock," where Yeung's vocals, in a more spoken fashion, sound like a young Jello rather than, on too many other tunes,  an infantile Louie Anderson.
"Chink in the Armor" works, and is fun, though at times annoying and ultimately exhausting. SoCal's Say Bok Gwai are another entry in the experimental duo game, but have enough chops to keep them from ever being formulaic.

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