Worldwide by TheDeathSet (Counter Records)- Out now

Punk music has always been a vibrant and energetic scene, since the early days of the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, the Dead Kennedys. It’s a mainstay of the genre. Punk bands generally are made up of (sometimes) angry youth. Youth symbolizes resistance to the norm, so it would make sense that the Pistols and the Clash would keep outside the mainstream. Once the sound caught on, though, it spread like wildfire.

More and more bands are experimenting these days, making use of technology that wasn’t available at the time punk donned its first safety pin. Music is now lots of other sounds besides guitars, bass and fast drums.

Enter TheDeathSet (yes, there is no space between the words). They use sound bites and samples, and pepper the songs with high-pitched synth, and even a cow bell and hand claps. Their songs sometimes consist of the same few notes as a base, while a rapid drum-machine pounds the song. The guitar rips across it all in an explosion of fuzz. Throw in high energy and extremely short songs. Then top it off with a raspy high-pitched voice, which spits out indecipherable lyrics.

The voice is actually a combination of TheDeathSet’s Beau Velasco (guitar), and Johnny Siera (drums).

The two originally formed in Australia in 2005. After testing the waters of New York, they relocated to Baltimore to become part of that underground music scene. In the meantime, they’ve been touring all over the world. They list among their many influences the Meat Puppets, Wolfmother, and Abe Vigoda (not the man, the band).

They’ve been described as “electroclash,” “semi-experimental panic punk,” “spazzy lo-fi cross genre punk,” and “two-man mini riot.” Call them whatever you want, but know that it’s fast, manic and fun. They have the thrash/punk thing down, but they also explore an electronica angle. Above it all, anarchy reigns supreme. These guys are ready-made for the moshpit set.

As you listen to “Intermission,” imagine those movies where they put you in the driver’s seat as you’re racing along a curving Autobahn. Then hit fast-forward. TheDeathSet operates at that speed.

The longest song is 2:24, while the opener is about 4 seconds, which may not qualify as a song, but it does have a few musical notes in it. “Had a Bird” has a distinct 80s vibe to it. It’s actually the slowest tempo song on the cd, which is not saying that it’s actually slow. “Listen to this collision” sounds like a chorus of little children who have gone horribly wrong.

There is a negative. The songs that don’t have lyrics are about 30 seconds long, and are a bit unforgettable. And if you’re afraid of heading into thrash territory, and therefore afraid you won’t like this album, don’t be: the CD is more punk than thrash. “Day in the Wife” is probably the only tune with some metal going on.

When the addicting chorus to “Around the World” is finally deciphered-- “We go around the world and we do what must be done/ Top secret mission and our enemies are wishing that they had a bigger gun”-- You become a part of the punk anarchist mindset, and loving every minute of it.

Download these tracks now: “Intermission,” “Around the World”