Boomtown Rockers Project Mayhem, winners of the 2008 Next Big Thing competition, decided it was a good idea to put together a compilation of some of the best rock and punk artists in Perth under the name WA Gold. Chiming in at 20 tracks, it is a comprehensive and hefty compilation of Perth's burgeoning rock scene.

The title, of course, begs the question - WA Gold, or fool's gold? The answer is a bit of both, actually.

The album starts off with the crackling sounds of The Novocaines, with Cup Of Coffee. It sounds just like having a espresso shot in the morning, with its catchy chorus and electric riffs. Then, unfortunately, the album seems to sink under its immense weight.

Such an album like WA Gold highlights both the strengths and weaknesses of Perth's rock scene. While the bands themselves are good when taken in isolation, many of them sound the same. It soon sounded like I was listening to the same band over and over, all following the same formula - someone shouting over the top of fast riffs and blasting drums. Mind you, the bands featured on this album do follow the formula well, although when about half the bands are following the same formula, I began to wonder whether most of these bands were created in a factory somewhere in the depths of Welshpool.

That being said, there are a few bands who were different enough to rise above the monotony. Genghis was in their typically strange element with Will You Stay. The enigmatic Will Stoker and the Embers's bombastic and sinister In The Belly Of The Beast was a welcome delight, as was the shambolic and naive sounds of The Painkiller's You're A Girl. Project Mayhem surprisingly featured Dogs Milk instead of their shoutalong favourite Boomtown Rocks, and the latter would've worked better.

Overall, this is a good CD to use to introduce someone to the Perth rock scene, if overlong.