Album Spotlight: Shark Attack’s Discography

By Ryan Germ
Yeah yeah yeah, this is another compilation, not a “real record” but fuck it, this is some of the best straight up hardcore punk that Philly had to offer in the 00’s. Up there with greats such as Horrorshow and Blacklisted. Sure, my generation hasn’t taken as much influence from them as their contemporaries, but the tracks are unfucking deniable so that’s a goddamn crime. This record is 12 tracks of fury bundled into 13 minutes. Anyways let’s get into their discography (please note that this is their discography from their OG run, we are not covering the new demo today).

The intro track CCP starts with feedback and just throws you into a fast part that feels like a basement in Philly. The track then goes into this groovy little chorusy bit before coming back fast. The chorus comes back and then we go into the same fast part to end the track.

This next song is a classic. Blood In The fucking Water. It starts with feedback and some hits on the hi hat before kicking into a moshy ass verse, it gets fast for a few seconds before going to that moshy ass verse. The riff is hard, simple, and fucking tasty. The fast part comes in one more time to end the track.

The next track Space Invader kicks off with a nice hardcore punk riff, before going into this somewhat fast blast beat part. The track’s chorus states “what the fuck is wrong with you?/I can’t see your point of view” the fast part and chorus comes back before going into a 2 step part. Lyrically the song is about motherfuckers who just get close to you and are creepy and won’t give you space. Cool track.

The next song is another classic, On The Attack. It starts with a sick bassline before going into a fast part and then a chorus. It repeats again (because if the formula ain’t broke don’t fix it), before a side to side part comes in hard and then it explodes into a 2 step part. The drum pattern starts on the hats and goes to the toms which sounds good, I love when bands utilize the toms. You have a full kit, use it.

The next track Misery Loves Company also kicks off with a good bassline before going into the first verse. This track is a marathon by their standards almost reaching the 2 minute mark. The chorus has that kind of modern sounding half Oi half hardcore feel to it that bands like Haywire do so well. The second verse is more of the same, but the second chorus operates as sort of a bridge part which I like. It’s just the chorus once on the bass and the toms before the chorus fully comes in with gang vocals. Sick song.

The next track Foreign Job Lot starts with a riff followed by a fast part on the hats before the drums switch to the toms. The fast part starts over again before the song stops and it goes into a dancy part on the toms and then the tempo gets slightly faster on the ride. The dancy tom part comes back and it tricks you into thinking the ride part will come back for the same duration of time before the main riff comes back to end the track.

The next song is Persist. It starts with a fast part then goes into a riff that sounds like Bloodstains by Agent Orange which serves as the mosh part it speeds up and ends because the track is only 34 seconds.

Feeding Frenzy is up next and surprise, it’s fast and punk as fuck. The chorus is played on the ride over the screams of “feeding frenzy” before the verse comes back. They run through the chorus again, before they do one more verse to end the track.

The next track is Accept Yourself and it starts off fast, the chorus is a groovy type of jawn on the ride. They run through the fast part again and then do the chorus before the track ends. Nothing much to write about but it’s still a good track, just breakneck pace.

The next track is Myself and it starts, you guessed it, slow on the toms. A pick slide cues in the verse and it keeps that slowness on the hats before speeding up with gang vocals. It keeps that fast pace before going into a mid tempo mosh section to end the track. Very good track, kept me on my toes because of the switching up of the Shark Attack formula.

The penultimate song is Enough Of You. It goes back to the well with the speed of the other tracks on this record. It slows into a groovy mid tempo chorus on the ride with gang vocals. It speeds up for the next verse before going back into the chorus. It speeds up and then ends with the shouts of “get fucked”.

The finale is the track Friend or Foe. It begins with feedback and a mid tempo riff before the drums kick in to keep that pace and the drums place emphasis on the toms. The track rings out before getting into the main fast part with a half blast beat on the drums. The chorus is more of the same but with shouts of “friend/foe” over the hats. The verse and chorus repeat again, and then after the second chorus the record ends. Solid track but it had potential to be better. 

Nonetheless this was a good record obviously. It’s fucking Shark Attack, in 13 minutes they proved they’re up there with the greats of the region. For context Ink & Dagger just broke up in 99, Kid Dynamite broke up and SPM died in 2000, so whilst I wasn’t alive when this dropped it definitely made sure Philly hardcore was in good hands and kept the momentum of the scene going. By the time Shark Attack broke up Paint It Black and Blacklisted was about to form, Horrorshow was about to release Our Design, and Punishment was at their peak. In my humble opinion Shark Attack helped bridge the gap between 90’s Philly HC and 00’s Philly HC. So I have so much respect for them.