My Revenge--Less Plot, More Blood
Packaging--
The good:
The cover..well, it appears to be an almost impressionist painting Dracula lurking over a few people, his cape slightly parted to reveal the American flag. The booklet is pretty straightforward. Three panels of photos, the rest lyrics and other info.
The bad:
While I like the cover as a piece of art, I don't think it makes a good album cover. Perhaps as an inlay card or something inside the booklet.
A band like this, I wish would have a paragraph elaborting what their songs mean mainly because there's a song on here called "Jesus Was Black" that criticizes a band that presumably was racist. I can see this being aimed at SOD, I can even see this being aimed at Cro-Mags with some of their ultra-right wing lyrics, but the press sheet I got made that comparison...it would be weird to say "we sound like a band we hate," wouldn't it? It could also be about bands like Skrewdriver where there almost seems to be a trend in hardcore for people to be into them as an "anti-PC" statement. So which is it? Perhaps it's all three. Obviously the point is to get you to think, and they have succeeded with at least one person.
The music:
The good:
At first, I really did not like this. I remember reading the lyrics and thinking "I want to like this, they're saying some good things, but this just I am just not into this." Eventually, it grew on me. I actually have begun to really like this. I think some really great songs help make what could've been a mediocre release to a very strong album...too many times we have great bands writing generic or mediocre songs.
Lyrically, we have socially conscious songs about the current political climate, as well as child abuse, racism, and fashion trends. These guys are going for a Cro-Mags/early Suicidal sound and they hit it. I hear some similarities to Ray Cappo in the vocalist. We have a guy who really can't sing manage to growl and snarl his way through an album. Sometimes there's a hint of Ian Mackeye, there's even a bit of young (SOA era) Rollins.
The band is from Vermont, but they mix early NY hardcore and mix it up with some west coast skate punk which is an interesting sound mix...it's really more of a "sound" mix than a songwriting mix. Songs for the most part are fast and punky but they have a harder edge. I'd almost compare this with the Revelation Records band Speak 714.
Standout track that I have to mention: "The Stronger The Tide, The Harder I Swim." I love that one.
The bad--
The album starts out with "Haddonfield, Illinois" which is the theme to the great film Halloween. They do a pretty good version but I'm not sure it really fits with the rest of the album. Something like that doesn't really have to relate specifically, but it just seems random.
Some of the vocals on here are very shoddy. I guess it's keeping it "raw" but I find myself listening and just thinking "why the hell didn't they do another take?" If you listen to the Cro-Mags, the vocal stylings were more "interesting" than "good" and I guess that's the mentality here. I strongly prefer a band like Run Devil Run who has the Cro-Mags sound and a vocalist who does an outstanding job then someone who's keeping it raw. Listen to "Passing In The Breakdown Lane"...it would be excusable if this was a live album, but it's not. "Push the Panic Button" is another example...the guy can't keep a note, which is okay, but don't try.
Recap�
What I'd really like to hear is this band in a nice studio, a large budget, and a producer who could push them a bit harder. I think they could be great, if they worked on some of the problems. This album, I'd suggest for fans of Cro-Mags and any west coast old school punk. I'm not sure this could win over people not into the style...and I think some of its flaws could take away from how good I think this band could be.
More info:
Check out the band's site or Thorp Records for more info.
Review by Chris
