Dubioza Kolektiv - Wild Wild East (Koolarrow)

Hailing from Sarajevo, Dubioza Kolektov are a bosnian fusion band combining as many western music genres as they possibly can. The result is mix of Nu-metal, Punk, Hip Hop, Dub and traditional Bosnian "narodna" folk.

Wild Wild East is the band's fifth long player and marks a definite shift towards a more aggressive sound. Clearly, they have been buoyed by the recent success of Euro/American immigrants Gogol Bordello and System Of A Down before them. The combination of buzzy metal guitars and reggae like syncopation is also reminiscent of Benji Webbe's various British alternative metal incarnations.

There is a slight regret that the record is far too polished. It feels like a lot of time has been spent honing the sound in studio which certainly negates the abrasive edge Dubioza seem to be leaning towards. Surely, a band with a Punk ethos should should aim for a less well rounded offering. Perhaps it is a consequence of attempting to take on a little too much as all those influences certainly make for a colourful selection of tracks, but ultimately draw focus away from the really interesting home grown elements of the project.

Never the less, it is an unashamedly fun collection. Standout's are the excellent 'Decisions', a dirty eastern groove with some lovely drum breaks to match, and 'U.S.A', a tongue in cheek account of a Bosnian dreaming of a western paradise "I am from Bosnia, take me to America/I really want to see, Statue of Liberty".

Flippant as the message in the above lyric is, the slight shift in direction certainly seems to indicate that America is the goal for Dubioza Kolektov.