www.osker.com - www.epitaph.com
Osker's second release on Epitaph. It amazes me how far a band can get after sending a demo to Epitaph a few years back which resulted them being rushed onto a Punk-o-Rama compilation. It's a true testement to the band's enourmous talent with chief songwriter and guitarist/vocalist Devon Williams only being 19.
The album opens with the mere strumming of a guitar which softens brilliantly into the short melody of Patience. Strangled is a very catchy sing-along song paired with strong vocals and very effective change-ups. There is no doubt Osker will be criticised by some fans that stock their previous album Treatment 5 among their collection. But let the music tell the truth, as there is no doubt that they�ve progressed into a much stronger outfit with hints of their old fast & snotty style present among their tight and faultless tunes. Like very few bands I've heard, Osker aren't content with playing the same style of music from song to song. Songs move from agressive movements like Animal, to catchy songs wiped over with touches of pop like Contention, to in your face punk songs like Piece by Piece, to soft ballads like Kinetic and Disconnect, Disconnect, to the emo-stylings of songs like Out of Touch. To define the style of music on this album into one category is impossible. It's just too good to be true. Idle Will Kill.....one for every collection. (Matthew Matanovic)