REVIEWS
BENEDICT ARNOLD & THE TRAITORS
KILL THE HOSTAGES 7" REISSUE (Artifix Records)
Benedict Arnold and the Traitors were (I believe) a west coast band that existed from 1980 until about 1983. I only knew their name from seeing them on occasional record collectors want lists but until now I never got to hear their music. My first impression was that I ve been missing out on something great the past couple of decades that this was unavailable!
The title track refers to the Iran hostage crisis that was going on at the time of this record s original release. It s exactly the kind of parody type of punk song you d expect from a band in the early days, set to some raw and simple melodic punk with slightly snotty vocals. This band would have easily fit in on the Dangerhouse Records label and is easily as good as anything from that era. The title track clocks in at just under two minutes and the flip side, "Red Alert" is a slower number that is a few seconds shorter but equally as enjoyable and makes for a perfect companion to the amazing A-side. In reviewing this single, I played both sides about a dozen or so times each because the songs were just so good I kept wanting to hear them again. CONTINUED>>
The entire contents of this site are © Copyright 2004 Benedict Arnold & The Traitors, except the "Star Spangled Bummer" cover art,
© Copyright 2004 Jaime "Germs" Zacarias.