Drawing on the membership of the equally seminal God and Bored!, the Powder Monkeys embodied the late eighties/early nineties Aussie independent guitar music scene, while tracing a pub-rock spiritual lineage back decades, through Rose Tattoo, Lobby Loyde and Buffalo. On stage they were, quite simply, an unstoppable machine. After many, many years out of print and a decade on from the death of their charismatic frontman Tim Hemensley, this superb reissue marks the return to circulation of the first recorded works of one the hardest-working, hardest-hitting and most admired bands of the nineties.

Tim Hemensley’s lyrics are fantastic – bitter, streetwise and compelling – as demonstrated by songs such as ‘Yin Yang’, or the hilariously and filthy ‘Atomic Resolution’.

As a snotty teenager lucky enough to come of age in the midst of an amazing period in Australian independent guitar bands, I considered John Nolan the best rock guitarist in Australia, and two decades of discovering older music have not convinced me that me there is anyone better. John’s frenzied but melodic lead playing bears comparison with Angus Young, Kevin Borich or Lobby Loyde.; every solo is a scuzzed-out-frenetic masterpiece.

In the midst of this, Tim’s bass sound is a dirty, huge thing of beauty in the mould of Ross Knight, Lemmy or John Entwistle (witness the loping, menacing ‘Crank me Up’) while Timmy Jack Ray’s unstoppable drumming forms a superb foundation for all of this mayhem.

This fabulous CD edition features three bonus tracks including a somewhat famous, piledriving version of Isaac Hayes’ ‘I Thank You’ recorded live at Greville records, as well as a plethora of fascinating notes and recollections from members, contemporaries and noted record critics. A limited edition high-grade vinyl with download code is also available.

Richard Mohr