Primitive noisy shit in the OBLIVIANS, GIBSON BROS, FIREWORKS, vein with the only difference being that these guys' point of origin is Sweden and not the midwest. Aside from that, there is practically no stylistic difference here and these guys could pretty much hold their own against those other guys. You get the punk-distilled-through hillbilly thing as well as the scratchy vocals and what I call that "mud-like twang" of the guitars. And most importantly these guys do know how to rock. Check out "Know Your Place", 12 bar blues and fucked up all the way through. Very Swank. - Maximum Rock'n'Roll

This trio sure sounds like the bastard children of the Oblivians to me. Raw guitar work, fast, nervous, vaguely rootsy rhythms and out of control, beyond cocky vocals about being in the drivers seat at all times. The band is from Sweden but their screechy, contorted English is plenty strong enough that their stomp and swagger comes through loud and clear on the title track, "What I Got," "Tell Me What You're Gonna Do" and "Know Your Place." Like The Gories and others of their ilk, the fellows have opted to dispense with the bass and usually have one guitar concentrating on thick, choppy chords while the other is off on some thin, high end lead tangent that sounds a little off but fits the manic, cheap blues, garage spasms like a glove. - Flipside

Oblivians fans take note. The Blacks are your cup of tea (or long neck bottle if you prefer). The stripped down rock and roll, blues stuff the Blacks lay down on this single is right up there with the great singles the Oblivians put out a few years back. - Punk Planet

Man, these guys aren't too subtle about their OBLIVIANS fixation. Lo-fi, trashed out, 1-4-5 rock-n-roll. Not too shabby for a Euro-clone band, immersion in the neo-Memphis double 'R' sound takes away from the end product. - Hit List

For those of you who might be getting a bit confused the only band name the Blacks that you need to worry about come from Sweden. So, pay close attention when you're at the record store. More great Oblivians-style rockers, although on one of the songs the singer sounds suspiciously like Guitar Wolf's Seiji. 4 cruddy songs on one record. Also, this release should not be confused with the classic Oblivians EP of the same name. Nope, there's no "Jim Cole" and "No Reason To Live" on this one, but its still worthy. - Multiball

First up, they are not black. They are a trio of crackers from Sweden and questionable taste aside, they rock with a bluesy roots based punk sound recorded on the slimmest of budgets. And I believe they have opted for a guitar/guitar attack instead of the traditional guitar/bass approach which yields a Hound Dog Taylor like maximum fuzziness. First rate rock from across the pond. - Go Metric

The Blacks sound sinister and raw on their "Call the Shots" EP. These Swedes take a bluesy rock-n-roll style and then play it with power, attitude, and trashy, lo-fi garage fury. They come across as rowdy and spirited, but the songs aren't too bad, either. "Tell Me What You're Gonna Do" is a dance riot. - Skratch

A great third EP from these real trash talking Swedes. Sticky, dirty, and swampy guitar slop, that keeps my pecker at full mast for at least an hour after it's done. If these guys knew I had such a good looking sister, they'da probably conned a blowjob out of here when they came through Chicago last year. Yeah you'll be steppin all over your dick when you hear this! - Horizontal Action

Another release from Sweden's finest, 4 tracks of blues-i-fied madness from these madmen, I can see these boys getting big soon, cause their tunes are just so catchy, so pick up, order and track down everyhting by the Blacks!! "Cause you wanna know why, cause I call the shots!!" - the Kings of Trash R'n'R

Not the local Country Punks, and like that band there's not any actual blacks in the band. These Swedish hard, nasty garagesters demonstrate the magic fact that there's not a lot of room between the worst and the best bands in this genre. They tickle both ends of the spectrum. - Rocktober

I picked up The Blacks 7" four song EP "Call the Shots" at their show with Guitar Wolf. The Blacks are from Sweden and are a two guitar and drummer outfit, like the Oblivians or the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. Like those two groups they play a similar bluesy, punk rock, r&b, rock and roll thing. Hey, I like the rock and roll, so the real question is are the songs any good? The answer is yes. The first song is "What I Got." It's a rocker that rolls at breakneck speed. The next song is "Call the Shots." This one is a slow one with a real cool groove. "Tell Me What You're Gonna Do" is my favorite song on the record. It has a great descending guitar part. It sounds like some old Memphis standard. Hell, it is for all I know! "Know Your Place" ends the disk and is good little song in the tradition of "Shake, Rattle and Roll." The sound is nice and trashy, just the way I like it. I'm really looking forward to hearing more from these guys. - Cyclops

"Tell Me What You're Gonna Do" is classic floor tom driven, booty shakin' garage rock, Oblivians style. This is good music to listen to while plotting revenge or just drinking yourself into a coma. - WSUM

This record is beautiful. These guys are the best thing to happen to rock in quite a while. The problem with bands like this is that they're so damned explosive, they always break up way too early. I guess the light that burns twice as bright also burns half as long... Anyone who thinks Rage Against the Machine, Korn, or Limp Bizkit can put anger and energy in their music needs to listen to this. This record would send those bands running back to their mommies and their big suburban houses faster than you can say "squares." - WSUM

And I didn’t even seem ‘em live… The Blacks are one fucked up rock ‘n’ roll/blues group. They gotta Crypt Records/lofi/southern/sick sound of desperation to ‘em. And I mean that as a compliment. So AGAIN! The Oblivians' style for the garage is ‘where it’s at!’ - Blank Generation

Great band, great 7". Trashy lo-fi garage on a limited tour edition 7" release. Dig the BLACKS as they dig you. - Hit List

"Shattered" is a brilliant title for a rock'n'roll song. The Stones wasted it many years back, their take is the sound of slightly miffed gents, who missed out on a priceless vase at Sotheby's, sipped a cup of tea, and then had mild go at that rock'n'roll. The Blacks' tune shares a title and nothing more. Theirs is the sound of a guy whose heart has been ripped out, dropped from ten stories and fragmented on the sidewalk below. A cathartic fusion of punk and urban blues. And the rest of ep ain't bad either. - Go Metric

This kind of rock'n'roll ruined my life. I could have been a bloody doctor, a lawyer, whatever.... "Made something of myself," as my mum always said... But no, I had to discover that sleazy bluesy rock lunatics get to drink loads of booze, smoke dope, and behave in a "highly irregular" manner at any time they please. Unfortunately, that doesn't count as a life, in most accepted manuals. So here I am, no life, cloudy future, spazzing out on the beer-stained carpet to the screams and riffs of four guys whose van may be shittier than ours is. Viva la vie!! - Chain-Whipped

Mmmmm yummy, thick and fucking fuzzy. This Trio has got some mountain oyster raw, trash can blues exhuding from it's instruments. Has an early Stooges punk thang going for it too, almost reaching a Blues Explosion feel at times. Let's hear it for loud, ugly and proud. I like the "Shattered" limited tour edition single better. "Shattered is a good and hearty "fucked love" song. The b-side gives you two more of the speed driven, lower than low-fi crank'em and grind'ems. If you can get a hold of a copy, lucky you. - Carbon 14

Amazing shit! With the unforseen growing number of bands called "THE BLACKS" these guys easily rise to the top. "Shattered" is an amzing ode to the rebirth of this term for anything fucked up, used or spent, and by god if I haven't caught myself using it to describe everything form girls to bathrooms to entire evenings. Apparently Martin has a new band called the Dixie Buzzards, which I'm sure will be great as well. It says it's a tour single, but get in touch with Big Neck Records, and I'll bet you can score it. - Horizontal Action

"Shattered" gets that early Oblivians guitar. In fact with the big O gone the way of whatever, this is a nice, albeight foreign, displacement. Super string-checking on "Don't Be Cute." - Multiball

Wow man!! This is totally raw. Swedens answer to The Oblivions has landed. This LTD 7 contains 3 fucked up furious duel guitar numbers. Dont Be Cute is the opener & what a beauty it is. Mid paced sleaze action is the formula here. The Boss With The Hot Sauce follows on but gets a bit more insane. 2 guitars going totally full bore & giving fucked up a new meaning. If ya didnt know who was playing the next track Hot Sauce, Youd swear it was The Oblivions. Wild raw shit is what this 7 is all about. If there were was no Oblivions this is the band all the fuss would have been about. Its a damn shame they are no longer with us. So ya better grab one of these before ya miss out. - Up Yours

This is music that would steal your milk money!!!! - Rocktober

Three stripped down, hook filled rockers that will have you shaking in a matter of seconds. No bass, no loss. Two guitars and drum kit is plenty to fill up a low fi enthusiast's heart with the raw energy they dream of. Yet another smashing Big Neck Record, keep an eye on them; they know what it takes. - Maximum Rock'n'Roll

I got home from work and checked the mailbox. What did I find, but a package from Big Neck Records. In it was the limited tour edition of The Blacks' "Shattered" 7 inch. Talk about great surprises. On the A-side, "Shattered" starts with a little feedback and then rips into a killer riff. It's a riff that burns a hole in your head and gets your ass shakin'. The Blacks know, just like Elvis knew, that rock n' roll came from r&b. And they throw a little into each song. Martin sings with more soul than a white man should; "Oh yeah you broke my heart. Oh yeah I'm shattered baby. You took it all apart. Wa-hoo. Wa-hoo" The B-side features "Don't Be Cute" and "The Boss With The Hot Sauce." "Don't Be Cute" is a punk rocker that flies along at breakneck speed that slams the breaks after each verse long enough for Martin to warn "Aw baby don't be cute." "The Boss With The Hot Sauce" sounds like a remake of an old r&b number. Only it's not. These guys are cool. The Blacks are putting out some of the best rock n' roll anywhere. Too bad they just broke up. Oh well, buy this record and see what you missed. - Cyclops

"Shattered" has a solid traditional riff into minor feedback and max fuzz. It also has a speed change and a Roslie yelp at he end. "Don't Be Cute" is very energetic with frantic spastic cymbal crashes that drive the tune. The final track, "Boss With The Hot Sauce" has fuzz on every tone, including the vocals. You're the boss, apple sauce. - Trash Times