Review: The End Of Ernie - Controversial Comfort

The End Of Ernie have been kicking up a cloud of hardcore punk dust and crust in Belgium since 1989. If you have not heard of them until now, you're not alone. Their new album Controversial Comfort is this writers first exposure as well.

To be fair, there have not been many opportunities to discover the band for those outside of the countries they call home, Belgium, Germany, and Holland. Aside from a 1999 split with countrymen Charlie Don't Surf, they did not release their debut LP The End Is Near until 2013. In 2017, they followed with sophomore effort When The Fun Is Over... where they appeared to have found their sound and aesthetic of crust influence hardcore punk. On Controversial Comfort, released on Lost Culture Records, The End Of Ernie have absolutely nailed their sound.

From the opening "Idiotic Patriotic" this album establishes itself as an undeniable punk record. It can be categorized under several different subgenres, but there is no question of it's roots. Political lyrics, straight forward riffs, driving drums and most impressively an unrelenting pace. The onslaught through fourteen tracks in a half hour or so, does not leave the listener a lot of room to breathe and it's better for it.

It is not hard to imagine The End Or Ernie commanding a tightly packed surging crowd in a small barroom. I can feel it and smell it. Trampled toes, finger pointing, and spit flying intensity that only those who've experienced a rough and tumble hardcore punk show would understand.

The simplicity of Controversial Comfort is a strength only yielded by veterans of punk and hardcore. The band effortlessly combine the metallic influences from crust and crossover, without sacrificing the soul and energy of the music. The punch and vigor of this record is evidence of a band in it's prime. There is no time like the present to discover The End Of Ernie.

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