Born from the ashes of Helbourne and Wall Of Silents, Palmerston three-piece metal act Government Pest deliver their debut album/EP. Recorded at The Stomach by Cam Wilkes, this six-track self-titled release has enough material to get a good sense of what the band is about. The Rise opens the playlist with groove and grunge in equal measure suggesting the band take as much influence from Black Sabbath as they do Metallica and Iron Maiden. Guitarist Kristov Raven’s raw punk style vocal delivery maintains a convincing level of energy and aggression throughout. Rhythmically (Murray Shaw’s bass and Aaron Sanko on drums) there is plenty going on to capture interest with riffs that frequently develop into a greater sum of the part of the songs they serve. Involve avoids repetition and cliché and manages to scatter its hardcore aggression smoothly over an easily digestible three minute sound bite. Tempo changes keep you guessing and tracks like The Train have plenty of rhythmic and harmonic twists to lure you into the listen. ‘Government Pest’ will easily appeal to punk and metal audiences alike as there is more focus on the songs and structure than solos and self-indulgence. The band’s attitude and convincing recorded performance will surely translate to a live act worth catching.