Band:	Lawnmower Deth
Album:	Blunt Cutters
Style:	Crossover thrash metal
Release date:	January 28, 2022
A review by:	omne metallum

01. Into The Pit
02. I Don’t Want To
03. Botheration
04. Swarfega
05. Bastard Squad
06. Now He’s A Priest
07. Good Morning, Phil
08. Bobblehead
09. Raise Your Snails
10. Deth! Maim! Kill!
11. Christ Options
12. Hell’s Teeth
13. Blunt Cutters
14. Space Herpes
15. Nothing But Noise
16. Goodnight, Bob
17. Power Bagging
18. Agency Of COB

Why would anyone do drugs when they could just mow the lawn?

Metalheads of the world, stand by your lawnmowers and get your motors ready; after a far too long wait, one of the most quirky thrash bands strike back when no one is looking and unleash their first album in 29 years(!). Yes, Lawnmower Deth have let the grass grow far too long and now decide to rev up their engines and get to work with, erm, Blunt Cutters.

Those waiting all these years for a new Lawnmower Deth album will find themselves with a wealth of patience beyond a good chunk of those who inhabit the Earth, while also noticing themselves a whole 29 years older for their efforts. Yes, metalheads, 29 years after the release of, what was considered their swansong, Billy, those wacky thrashers from the north of England bring their lawnmowers, guitars and goofball humour out of the shed and into your headphones once more.

Never ones to take themselves too seriously, Blunt Cutters is another collection of the kind of zany and off-beat humour that the band become famous for. Sounding like a continuation of 1992’s The Return Of The Fabulous Metal Bozo Clowns, the band skip over the somewhat (by their standards, anyway) mature version of the band that produced their previous release in Billy, and delve back to their roots and sapling shoots. While the band are known for being wacky, they don’t let it overtake the quality of the music they produce. It may not be revolutionary or groundbreaking, but sometimes, just listening to something that is pure, heavy fun can be just as good.

Sure to be live staples, “Bobblehead” and “Raise Your Snails” combine the band’s humour with some fun instrumental work, likely to get a rise out of anyone who is in earshot of the speakers as they blast out loud, though, have fun explaining why you’re singing along to “Give me an S.T.D.” as “Space Herpes” is playing. If you are wanting something funny, simple and downright fun, then Blunt Cutters is a good companion to a good selection of beers and ciders.

Blunt Cutters faces many of the same pitfalls that many a comedy album do, that being that much of the enjoyment derives from the humour, which can either wear thin fast, or not be funny to you to begin with; while Lawnmower Deth are no slouches on their instruments, tracks like “Power Bagging” and “Bastard Squad” are good, but feel incomplete without the wackiness. In an age where comedic thrash is well stacked with bands like Municipal Waste and Insanity Alert, Lawnmower Deth return to an ever more crowded playing field than they left when they last released an album, leaving casual fans with a slew of alternatives if the cutting blades do not make much impact.

If you’re looking for a thrash album that raises its middle finger high rather than planting its tongue firmly in cheek, then Blunt Cutters will not be an album you find with much replay value, as Lawnmower Deth will thumb their nose at you rather than bloody it through the brute force of their riffing. If you haven’t heard of this band before, then Blunt Cutters is a good place to introduce yourselves to the defenders of the lawn, inspiring you to jump on your mower alongside Hank Hill and ask h’why would anyone do drugs when they could just mow the lawn and listen to Lawnmower Deth.