You may remember that back in 2017 I named Coitus Interuptus by wizard pop punks Flabbercasters as my number two album of the year. It was ridiculous and silly and still to this day puts such a big smile on my face. So when I found out that the band were releasing a second album this year I was super excited. At the beginning of July it was finally unleashed on the world. Titled Syphilis Totalus, these are fourteen more fun pop punk tracks about the hardships of being a wizard and those troublesome dungeons. Did it have the same magic as Coitus Interuptus though? There's only one way to find out!
The album opens with Intro, which is obviously an introduction. It starts out with an acoustic verse where lead singer Nick Anthony welcomes you into the album, giving you a brief idea of what to expect on this next magical pop punk quest. When the second verse hits Flabbercasters goes full band, giving the song an extra bit of umph. Up next is Black Magic, which is a song about trying to find somebody to love you as a wizard. Apparently it's hard to find someone that isn't scared of being a wizard, particularly one who practises the darker arts. The chorus of "Yeah, we'll be dancin' and necromancin' till the dawn, After we cast a spell on the sun to never come up" really put a smile on my face. The third track, I'm A Wizard, starts with a great sing-along introduction of "I'm not just an alchemist (x4), I'm a wizard" that will really get a crowd chanting along from the song’s outset. It's a short song that outlines that Nick is a wizard and you should be surprised by the things he can do – like turning you into a farm animal or shooting lightning from his eyes.
Next is the album's title track, Syphilis Totalus. Far and away the album's longest song, it's also one of the album's more serious songs. Keeping in the wizard character, Flabbercasters play through a song about getting older, maturing and beginning to regret some of the more wild things that you did in your youth. This really shows how good Flabbercasters are at writing songs, adding so much substance to a song whilst keeping with the wizard theme of the album. Some of the harmonies on this song are just brilliant as well. After such a lengthy song, we are then given the thirty second long For The Fans (Swirly Giving Time). Branching into the skate punk world, the track looks at life at high school where you're bullied by the cool kids – they get your lunch money and buy some beer. Werewolfe Zen goes down more of a power-pop road. The short song starts with a punchy beginning before adding some melody as the track progresses. It's about getting mugged but managing to stay calm under all of the distress. Whomping Willow Headache sees Flabbercasters venture into the world of Harry Potter, with a reference to the tree that strikes you if you get near it. The track feels as if it's got a lot more energy coming from it due to its chugging buzzsaw like guitars in the opening verse. The song is about dealing with the hangover from your actions the previous night – and your head feeling as if you've been struck by a whomping willow!
Witch Is Right begins the second half of Syphilis Totalus. Continuing with the high energy style, Witch Is Right does a fantastic job in getting you pumped up. I particularly enjoyed the way in which the vocals are delivered, switching between a short and stabby style for the verses and then a more melodic approach for the chorus. Rage Quit was one of the stand out songs on my first listen of the album. It's pretty short but quickly lodges itself into your brain. It's about the frustrations of playing computer games as an adult compared to what it was like as a youngster. Kids today are much better at games these days and make us adults look terrible, forcing you to rage quit. I really liked how the guitar tones felt angrier at the back end of the track, as Nick gets more and more frustrated. The tenth song is named Power Creep. This is another song where Flabbercasters are getting frustrated. This time because of a gradual unbalancing of their favourite card game when it releases new content. Flabbercasters really do tackle the biggest issues! Following on from Power Creep is Rage Quit (Reprise). Jumping down the river of easycore pop punk, this reprised version of Rage Quit showcases the band seeing things in a much calmer state as they sing more about the frustrations of modern day gaming. There actually feels like there's a genuine sadness in the song – they seem so fed up.
Speaking of genuine sadness, Leaderbored is a heartbreaker. Again whilst staying completely in character, it's about yearning for someone who is in a relationship with somebody else and getting seriously depressed about it. The song is jam packed with wizard/fantasy/dungeon metaphors that are really relatable. This isn't just the best song on the album but one of the best songs of the year. The penultimate song on Syphilis Totalus is titled Not Yer Main. Staying in super sad mode, this is a break up song that will destroy your emotions. Musically the song is heavy on the eerie and atmospheric electronic sounds that really bring the mood down, along with a bass line that helps to provide a spine to the track. I'm not sure I've heard many sadder songs this year, which is a weird thing to say when reviewing a Flabbercasters album. Last up is Fireball which is a raw sounding acoustic song that kind of came out of nowhere. To me, it's more like a fun bonus song rather than a proper album track. It's very leftfield (even for Flabbercasters) and did disrupt the flow of the album a little bit. It's about being alone and finding ways to alleviate the pain that you're in.
There was perhaps a bit of a worry that a gimmicky band like Flabbercasters might not be able to hit the same heights on their second album as their first but they somehow managed it. This is a surprisingly sad album that's packed with wizard based metaphors but will also be really cathartic for anyone dealing with any of the issues raised.
Stream and download Syphilis Totalus here: https://flabbercasters.bandcamp.com/album/syphilis-totalus
Like Flabbercasters here: https://www.facebook.com/flabbercasters
This review was written by Colin Clark.
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