Austin’s punk metal rockers return strongly with their first album in 5 years!
On first listen, American Sharks probably sound a bit like your favourite band! Don’t get me wrong, in this case the derivative is perfectly ok, and there’s certainly something for everything in their comeback album ‘Not Dead Yet’ – especially, if you like your metal with a punkier edge – or indeed vice versa!
Echoes of Iggy, Ozzy and Lemmy resonate through these 9 tracks of in-yer-face, tempo shifting, rock n roll, from the three-piece hailing from Austin, TX. Their punk-metal hybrid sound that seamlessly blends pop hooks with power riffs may not be unique, but it’s very appealing and hugely listenable.
After a 5 year break, American Sharks are back, now centred around founders vocalist / bassist Roky Moon and drummer Nick Cornetti, joined on this album by a posse of special guest guitar soloists: Mike Derks (GWAR), Zach Blair (Rise Against), Kyle Shutt (The Sword), David Sullivan (Red Fang), and Leo Lydon (Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol). The variety of players certainly adds individuality to the tracks.
The bass driven opening and title track ‘Not Dead Yet’ really rocks, conjuring up a ‘raw power’ in more ways than one! It’s shorter than might be expected but to the point, and feels fresh but at the same time familiar, setting the tone for the punk ethos of the album!
Next up ‘Flowers for The Dead’, with its huge fuzzy riffs and singalong “goodbye my love” lyric, feels like it might be a fitting song to be played at a rock funeral, epic and memorable as it is.
‘Going Insane’ and ‘Fuzz’ are two unashamedly rock tracks, that really invoke a late a 70’s Blizzard of Oz vibe. Both featuring splendid, gut-wrenching guitar solos to match the manic Ozzy like vocals. Similarly, the slower tempoed ‘Give me Blood’ provides a brooding contrast and gives and atmospheric nod to heavy rock genre of eras past.
‘Bang Yer Head’ ups the tempo again and adds more of a punky choppy edge and attitude – I found myself nodding along while the singing along to the title. This is fun, no-nonsense rock and roll!
Next, the Sharks are shape shifting again, with the glam rock-tinged riff-fest that is ‘The Machine’, which I reckon would sound stellar if performed in a ballroom, glitter ball and all!
Then there’s a complete change of pace with the penultimate track, the acoustic guitar backed song of ‘bro friendship’ ‘Sunny Sunday’. It’s lovely, and maybe should have been placed a couple of tracks before, as it’s a delightful foil to the rock tracks.
The final track is ‘They Want Peace’ another slower, atmospheric track with a manically repetitive “plea for water” lyric, over a backdrop of disintegrating fuzzy riffs. The song is as far away from punk rock as ‘Not Dead Yet’ gets, but by now we get it – it’s about attitude, not a single musical style, and somehow that’s perfectly OK.
Out via Permanent Teeth on April 17th, 2026, snag your copy of ‘Not Dead Yet’ on vinyl, CD and digital from HERE
American Sharks are touring NOW – see them at these venues:
04/17 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge *
04/18 Kalispell, MT – Rocky Mountain Riff Fest
04/19 Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern *
04/20 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios *
04/22 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of The Hill *
04/23 Los Angeles, CA – Zebulon *
04/25 San Diego, CA – The Casbah *
04/26 Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s *
04/28 Phoenix, AZ – Rebel Lounge *
05/01 Oklahoma City, OK – Resonant Head *#
05/02 Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck *#
05/03 Omaha, NE – Reverb *#
05/04 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry *#
05/06 Milwaukee, WI – Falcon Bowl *#
05/07 St. Louis, MO – Blueberry Hill Duck Room *#
05/08 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle *#
05/09 Cleveland, OH – Mahall’s *#
05/10 Toronto, ON – The Garrison *
05/12 Montreal, QC – Cabaret Foufs *
05/13 Boston, MA – Sonia *
05/15 Brooklyn, NY – TV Eye *
05/17 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s *
05/18 Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery *
05/20 Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre *
05/22 Atlanta, GA – The Earl *
05/23 Nashville, TN – The Blue Room *
* w/ Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol
# w/ Pink Fuzz
- Not Dead Yet
- Flowers for The Dead
- Going Insane
- Fuzz War
- Give Me Blood
- Bang Yer Head
- The Machine
- Sunny Sunday
- They Want Peace
Follow American Sharks on Their Socials:
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Writer, lyricist, and guitarist with The Viral Breakdowns, radio presenter and passionate protagonist of Punk! From teenage rocker in the seventies, to playing my own original music in far flung parts of the world, I have a love for fast, loud, short sharp tunes with attitude and edge. Based in Chelmsford, you can find me out and about on the Essex and London music scene or rooting through the racks of record fairs, markets and car boot sales, looking for hidden punk rock treasures.
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