If Epitaph - Hellcat to be more precise - has got its own Dropkick Murphy’s, Fat Wreck Chords - Honest Don’s to be more precise - cannot not have its own kilt wearing punks, The Real McKenzies. Even if when you look at this band you may think they are Scottish, they are from Vancouver, BC, in Canada.

Now, I could talk about this band talking of the Dropkick Murphy’s and a no one would notice the difference, not even me. Honestly, I am not a big fan of this kind of music and attitude: street punk mixed with traditional scottish folk, also because I find this pretty boring, and when I heard the McKenzies’ songs on the Fat Club 7inch, I did not dig them a lot. But this record is kind of funny.

“Loch’d & Loaded” consists of 16 songs for less than half an hour, the songs are fast, catchy and someway enjoyable, although I’d never listen to this record more than once a week. From the opening “Nessie” - about the famous monster of Lockness - to “Gi’ Us A Dram”, to “Pickled” where there are more punk 77 inluences just as on “Whiskey Scotch Whiskey”( although whiskey is not my favourite drink this song is damned catchy), to the marching rhythm of “Scot ‘Round the World”, in this album there is more or less anything a Dropkick Murphy’s fan could hope to listen: angry guitar riffs, bagpipes ( a lot of them ), a mandolin, penny whistles and so on.

Also if you dig Scottish folk a lot, apart the own Real McKenzies songs, there are some traditional scottish songs like “Flower Of Scotladn”, “Bonnie Mary” and “Memories Of Old Pa Fogerty”m which is a 42 seconds song of bagpipes only.

I recommend this album to any fans of The Dropckick, and to the ones who would like to g oon holiday in foggy Scotland, but if you are not into this music a lot, these kilt wearing punks could not be what you can appreciate at its best.