Puppy - Vol II Remastered album review

Instantly appealing rockers relocate their base

Cover art for Puppy - Vol II Remastered album

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Combining 90s influences from groove metal to indie rock, Puppy are an intriguing prospect. Freshly signed to Spinefarm, the trio have reissued their Vol II EP in an “expanded and remastered” form. The songs still sound as good as they did a year ago, Jock Norton’s unnaturally high-pitched voice somehow finding a comfortable home nestled among earthshaking riffs, and carving out hooks that’ll be on a determined loop in your head for a week. Truth be told, there’s very little here to draw in anyone who splashed out on the 2016 release – just one additional song, Beast, and some extra punch in the charmingly lo-fi production, particularly the drums – but for those yet to experience Puppy’s eclectic cocktail of influences this is as good a place to start as any. It’s been a couple of years, though, lads. Can we have an album now?

Rob wrote for Metal Hammer throughout the 2010s, and counts Ghost, Linkin Park, Parkway Drive and Asking Alexandria amongst the artists he interviewed during that time. He also has bylines at Punktastic and the webzine he co-founded, Track Seven. He now lives in The Netherlands.