Pierced, tattooed, and dressed like pin-ups, the all-girl punk rock quartet, Civet, brands their genre “femme fatale punk.” Their kickass second full-length album, Hell Hath No Fury, is powered by a driving bass and catchy drum beats. Instrumentally, there’s nothing noteworthy, but the album is full of energy. “Son of a Bitch” is undoubtedly the best song of the album, followed closely by “Take Me Away” and “Hell Hath No Fury.” “Son of a Bitch” is catchy, snarky and the perfect breakup song. Why mope when you can get angry? Starting strong with the opening line, “You’re a lazy son of a bitch,” there is nothing subtle in this song. But then again, subtlety is overrated. “Hell Hath No Fury” is a good warning for unwary boys: “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned / you shouldn’t have started that game if you didn’t want to play, baby.” Civet has put a new spin on the adage that has been around for ages. “Take Me Away” opens with a memorable bass solo – it’s short and sweet, and shows off the talents of bassist Jacqui Valentine.

Lead singer Liza Graves’ voice is nothing like female singers today. Unlike other female rock vocalists, like Paramore’s Hayley Williams or Evanescence’s Amy Lee, she more or less growls through the 13 track album. Graves’ voice isn’t quite up to par with Janis Joplin’s smoke and whiskey torn voice, and in fact, sometimes it sounds like she is trying too hard, but I would take Graves’ snarl over Britney’s canned and computerized howl any day. Her voice is anything but sweet, but it’s definitely real. I’d like to see a brawl between Britney and Liza. My bet’s on Graves.

Civet also doesn’t fall into the pop-punk category. Though they have some catchy songs, the band is a throwback to earlier punk rock bands. Some beats remind me of Social Distortion, though a bit more upbeat, and Civet cites Rancid and Motörhead as some influences. Civet is also very feminist-inspired, without going overboard. They hold the views similar to that of Ani DiFranco; they’re not damsels in distress. Most of the lyrics of the CD’s songs could be sung from a guy’s perspective, but instead they are from a girl. The girl is the dumper, not the dumpee; the player, not the played; and said girl could probably kick your ass. Civet is a band that just shows that girls can play in the guys’ league. I like the album because it’s different than most of the music that’s out now. Civet is a refreshing listen in a world of overproduced pop starlets and underappreciated underground punk.

Civet bring the fury of hell and a woman’s scorn but in an enjoyable way.