SEMINAL RATS - Life in the Necropolis

SEMINAL RATS Life in Necropolis cd 1990 320 kbps

Spider boy / Red planet / Ain't dead yet / Sunny brook / Part time girl / Heart punch / Liquid / Change / Honey Gorge / Zugz wang / Toe blood / Rat Race / Lime / A day away / The Forest / Head rush / Mean dartin / Exhale / Boss hoss / City slang.

A Seminal Rats production.

Seminal Rats : Mick Weber : guitar / Reuben Pinkster : guitar / Todd Mac Near : drums / Dave Balsamo : bass / Michael Harley : vocals .

Conventional wisdom suggests that Sydney was and still is the high energy capital of Australia. During the 1980s and 1990s however, one band helped dispel that myth. The Seminal Rats were one of the first bands outside of Sydney to embrace the high energy rock 'n' roll which bands like Radio Birdman had produced in the late seventies. There had been others like the Chosen Few and legendary Sick Things and the Rats helped set up a high energy rock 'n' roll scene in Melbourne which lasts to this very day. The Rats came together in the early '80s, first as the Flipper inspired band, Skippy. Skippy mutated into the Seminal Rats around 1983. They were heavily influenced by the Detroit rock sounds of the Stooges, MC5, The Sonics Rendezvous Band as well as the first wave of US hard-core eg. Black Flag, Bad Brains. The beauty of the Rats was that they were also influenced by bands not necessarily associated with punk rock. For instance, AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix and John Coltraine were all cited as favorites of the Rats. Live, the Seminal Rats were one of the best high energy bands playing, not only in Australia, but in the world. Their records released on Mr Spaceman show just how high energy their shows were. Omnipotent stands as their best recording from the period. Furious guitars, killer drumming, gruff as fuck vocals and killer tunes - they had it all. The band would go on to share stages with such seminal influences as Johnny Thunders, Deniz Tek and Dead Moon. The Rats continued rocking Melbourne till the late '90s. Sadly founding member guitarist Mick Weber passed away in early 1999, bringing an end to one of the best high energy rock 'n' roll bands this planet has ever produced. I saw the Rats many times and they always rocked. They will be sadly missed. JIM from Red Shift (The Mr. Spaceman Label 1985-1990) 1999.
Spain - sorry Basque Country's - best Australian label, Bang! Records has made ,in 2007 , a double CD collection of 27 songs : The essential Seminal Rats 1984-1991 available here