Tony Erba, the erstwhile front man for this Clevo hardcore band, is definitely one of a kind. In his past musical projects as well as this one, he has always taken a somewhat irreverent attitude towards punk rock. He loves it, but he is also a bit of a wise ass, so he doesn’t mind stirring the pot a bit by going after some of the lamer aspects of underground culture. After all, sacred cows make the best burgers. He is also a big fan of pro wrestling — and it’s almost as though he has taken on the persona of a punk rock “heel,” though many of his opinions are truly his own and not done for show. Well, at least in some respects. My personal favorite was when stated that hardcore kids are “pretty much pussies” in a 2013 interview.

But there is also a serious side to his music, and on this excellent slab of hard-rocking hardcore, you’ll see there are serious commentaries about the punk rock scene, the loss of employment, and living in an economically depressed area such as Cleveland. However, it is delivered with a very dark sense of humor. Of course, there are outright funny songs like “Black Saturday,” where Erba bemoans the lack of quality pro wrestling in the age of WWE domination. The song even samples a classic line from the ultimate heel, The Iron Sheik (“break his back, make him humble”) — followed by Erba doing his best Sheik impersonation. There is also “Gone Squatchin’,” where Erba sings about yetis coming down from the hills, appearing at certain punk clubs in Cleveland, and grinding up tree bark to sniff as a cocaine substitute.

But there are more sincere tunes. “Scab City” and “Factory Of Sadness” lay down some working class blues in the guise of hardcore tunes. “Smear Campaign” talks about the realities of living in Ohio in this day and age, while “Driving Me To Drink” has a serious message wrapped in dark humor. And of course, there is “Zero Fucks Given,” which outlines Erba’s philosophy on punk rock and life in general.

2014 has been a very good year for hardcore in all its various musical permutations, and this is another excellent slab of invective that you don’t want to pass on. Seriously, I don’t know how Cleveland keeps turning out such weird, wild, and wonderful bands.

(Schizophrenic Records, 17 W. 4th Street, Hamilton, ON L9C 3M2 Canada)