Spoken - "A Moment Of Imperfect Clarity"

Take the most bland song the Used ever wrote and combine it with most anything off the new AFI album.

Add in a vocalist who cops the vocal stylings [and weaknesses] of both Bert McCrackin and Davey Havok.

Oh yeah, don't forget the Christianity thing.

This is just an absolutely boring, senseless, faceless excuse for music. Tooth & Nail's marketing plan of "sign a bunch of bands from every genre and throw them at a crowd and see what sticks" really isn't working. Quality over quantity, people. This band definitely has none of the former, and hopefully won't have a high number of the latter for records sold.

-Scott Heisel (Punknews.org) Originally Published 2003

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Mephiskapheles - "Maximum Perversion"

This review was brought to you by the letter W:

While it's obvious that the second coming of Christ didn't happen at the approach of the new millenium, the second coming of a legendary evil ska band did. The teneberous side of ska was once again injected into the veins of Moon Ska NYC when the Mephiskapheles released their sophmore LP, Maximum Perversion in 1997 . Mixed feelings followed this album after it was released. Their first LP God Bless Satan stole the hearts of many little girls and reigned high in most ska lovers cd collections. God Bless Satan was dark, macbre and fun for little kids to hide from their parents and definately one of my upmost favorite ska cds, let alone favorite ska band.... and when Maximum Perversion hit stores it pissed me off to see that all that black magic was fading... little girls didn't post pictures of the Nubian Nightmare on their walls anymore. They now wanted Gwen Stefani. All the little kids that used to have fun hiding a cd titled God Bless Satan from their parents were soon surprised to see that their parents had Maximum Perversion before they did. And to be blunt...all my friends that heard it first said it sucked and sounded like a video game.

My argument is that while it isn't as good as their first, I find that they put more effort into it than the first. Every song is so different, it's hard to classify it all in one genre. Who needs genres anyway?

 This album is heavy on the keyboards but not as dark as it's predecessor. This album sure as hell doesn't lack anything else more than the darkness you'd expect from them, but instead adds more spunk and experimentality to the sound, which maybe just wasn't the thing the Mephiskapheles should have done.

Don't get me wrong kiddies! I love this album. It's jazzy, it's mellow, it's the Mephiskapheles at their finest instrumentally...and it sure is a relief to know that it is a shitload better than their next release. Since a lot of you have different tastes do the right thing and download it before you buy it.

-JoKe2K (Punknews.org) Originally Published 2001

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Finch - "What Is It To Burn"

When many of you look under the big bold letters of the band Finch, you will most likely see the label "Drive-Thru." Most of you know this label, and will immediately stop reading this review. For those of you who do not know about this label I will take the time to tell your asses why the fuck this label is trash.

The label "Drive-Thru" is a record label that cares about one thing in my opinion, and that is the money. Yea my friends, it is becoming a sad world in the music industry, because a lot of bands are "catering" to an MTV type atmosphere. They tend to loose their style, and attitude just to make the dollars. Blink is a perfect example. They put out a couple records early in their career that were actually good, and then all of the sudden they become pop. Why? Because more cash is involved if they play their music on the radio and MTV. In order to do this they have to quiet down and play soft for the radio so more people will like it such as thirteen year old girls, moms, ect. Anyway this is where "Drive-Thru" steps in. They have put out such bands as "New Found Glory," which obviously is a very hard working band. The problem is though is that they are a polished pop punk band made safe for little Jeffery to hear, and then they claim their punk. Another thing is that they end up getting printed on t-shirts that little girls will end up buying. In the process they will act as if they had their first orgasm(which they probably did). A lot of bands are turning into this, and this label happens to obviously look for that.

After all of this talk about "Drive-Thru," they do in fact manage to put out a couple decent bands. Rx Bandits put out an amazingly original album called "Process." Another band that I don't mind is Midtown even though I do sometimes wonder about them. I may be controdicting myself by saying I like Midtown since they are pretty much a polished pop punk band, as said above. The point is they can rock. The only other band that ever sounded promissing to me would be Finch. They came out with a very respectalble EP called "Falling Into Place." They brought a new sound to "Drive-Thru," and topped it off with refreshing lyrics, and awesome screams. The only problem is that was obviously only a taste of what they could do, and finally after a delay, the full length emerged.

A lot of bands these days fail to write lyrics that actually mean something, or they are just too bland. Finch manages to produce lyrics that aren't too complicated, but also not to simplistic. The song "Letters To You" features some simply awesome lyrics such as: "Can't you see, that I want to be, here with open arms. It's empty tonight, and I'm all alone, get me through this one."

The best songs on the cd are: Letters To You, Post Script,Without You Here, and the bonus track that apparently only some people got, "What It Is To Burn." The song Ender can kind of get annoying at times since it is thirteen minutes long. The only weak song on the album is "Project Mayhem" which has too much of an alternative sound to it.

If a person hanging on the edge of a cliff is representing Drive-Thru, and only a couple of fingers are keeping them from falling, the band Finch is one of those fingers. They manage to put out an album that is very original, energetic, and intelligent that will be sure to make honorable mentions at the end of the year or maybe even more. . .

-Ryan (Punknews.org) Published 2002

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Streetlight Manifesto - "Everything Goes Numb"

Despite all the rumors circulating about how this album was going to be "Keasbey Nights 2", anyone who merely wrote Streetlight Manifesto off to that fact has no idea what they are missing. "Keasbey Nights" was my original all-time ska album, but "Everything Goes Numb" has dethroned it. This album isn't just "Keasbey Nights 2"; it blows "Keasbey Nights" out of existence.

The song, "Everything Went Numb" has been in low bit rate mp3 form for quite a while, and the album doesn't really kick off until the second song "That'll Be the Day." It has got some infectious horns that help dictate the speed, which is fast even for most song. The song has a very Catch 22 feel, which is no surprise considering three of the members have graduated from Catch 22. The song also features some fantastic drums that manage to keep the speed up throughout the song while also throwing in some little fancy tricks (the double bass towards the end being my personal favorite).

The following song "Point/Counterpoint" features some of the most ridiculously fast singing in existence. This song truly showcases Tomas' vocal talents, as not only can he sing insanely fast, but he can also articulate every word insanely well. It also showcases his lyrics nicely, with one of the greatest choruses. "I've got a gun in my hand but the gun won't cock/ my finger's on the trigger but that trigger seems locked/ and I can't stop staring at the tick tock clock/ and even if I could I would never give up/ with a vest on my chest and a bullet in my lung/I can't believe I'm dying with this song unsung..." with more following at a blistering pace. The song is pure ska fun, good horns, creative bass lines, and guitars not taking a prominent stage (instead replaced by excellent backing vocals).

The song "A Moment of Silence" is a nice abrupt change from the standard frantic speed of the album. Although the song eventually speeds up, the beginning paints an incredibly vivid picture that just made me imagine the band playing in some smoky, run-down, lounge full of working class drunks. A lot of the horns get their own chance to shine separately in several solos throughout the song. Despite the fact that the overall speed of the song is 1/100 of the rest of the album, it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb, but rather is one of the shining tracks.

Throw in a nice little cover of "Here's to Life" (the original is much better) and there is not a single song on this "Everything Goes Numb" that is worth skipping over. This album is one of the best to come out this year, and one of the (if not THE) best ska albums to come out in awhile. As sad as I was to see Tomas leave Catch 22, I think he has found a better calling in Streetlight Manifesto.

-pwfanatic (Punknews.org) Posted 2003

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Choking Victim - "No Gods/No Managers"

Who ever bought the Compilation "give 'em the boot" from Hellcat Records, may have been in for a shock; not a lot of punk rock.

However track 18 by Choking Victim, INFESTED, was somewhat of an unreal song, in gods eyes. You can't really sing along to this because no one in the world has a voice like that of CV. it actually sounds like a Choking Victim, and it is so good, I think I love it.

The only full length album these guys produced, No Gods / No Manners, is just as awesome. the title track 500 Channels, should really be the Earths International Anthem, and should be sung at least 5 times daily. other songs that are just as good, In my grave, Fucked Reality, In hell, Five Finger Discount, are godsent, to stimulate ones ears. Not one song sounds the same, each so unique and beautiful with a blend of punk, ska, and reggae, but at the same time so dark and gothic, probably to illustrate their religious views. but all in all each song is a hymn of enlightenment.

Any true punk rocking idiot, would love and cherrish this album, and treat it like it were their own child, get it now, or you will be sorry when you finally do that you didnt listen to me when i said get it now....

-the_stick (Punknews.org) Originally Posted 2001

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Leftover Crack - "Fuck World Trade"

I've never been so offended by a band in all my life. With a band name promoting drug use (and sodomy), with an album title disrespecting this great nation that so many heroes have died to protect, and with songs about murdering our fine boys in blue, who risk their lives everyday to make America a better place... quite disgusting. Oh, sorry, not disgusting... but quite the opposite. Would that be progusting? After three long years of waiting for Leftover Crack to release a new full-length, which included leaving the roster of Hellcat Records on bad terms, being banned from nearly every venue in New York City, signing to Alternative Tentacles Records, and having this record banned from main chain stores before it was even released, Fuck World Trade is here, and is incredible.

The record starts out with "Clear Channel (Fuck Off)", and just like "Mediocre Generica", has the classic same intro, which goes blazing into a roaring guitars, and screaming vocals. The song includes a personal "fuck you" to the likes of bands that show what is wrong with music today: Nickelback, Creed, Britney Spears, P.O.D. and Rancid. To include Rancid in that line of lyrics... I give LOC mad props for. To be on Hellcat Records (owned by Rancid) for years, to have Brad Minus (an ex-roadie for Rancid) in the band, which Rancid named a song after, and being in F-Minus (who is still on Hellcat), that's just incredible ballsy, and they get a high-five in my book.

"Life Is Pain" shows the band playing their fine brand of ska-punk on this disc. It's a song about how people should stop breeding, and polluting the earth. Funny how the songs goes, because I wrote an essay about the same thing, and how abortions should be mandatory years back in school, and after getting an "A" on the paper, was suspended from school for a week. "Burn Them Prisons" is a conspiracy song about cops caging every possible human they could, and to take control. "Gang Control" (originally performed by Ezra's band Morning Glory) has some new lyrics, and is a top-notch ska-punk tune. N.W.A. would be proud, with the line in the chorus of "Fuck The Police”.

"Super Tuesday" is next, and has way too much spoken word pieces inserted into it, which makes the song somewhat skippable. "Via Sin Dios" (or "Go With God") is the sequal to the Choking Victim song "In My Grave", and though it contains no ska at all, it does have Anti-Flag screaming the chorus "six feet down and underground", which I'm sure will piss off 90% of people who call themselves "punk". The anti-bible track "Feed The Children (Books Of Lies)" comes in next, and kind of hits you in the heart with "No more books of lies instead of food' the hungry criiiied". "One Dead Cop" is about killing cops, and it's a good song. "Ya Can't Go Home" is a slow ballad, which is semi-reminiscent of Thursday in the first 15 or so seconds of the song... a song which should have been cut from the album.

"Rock The 40 oz." -- everyone has heard this song, but it's done slightly better here, with more rock, and some quirky violins. "Soon We'll Be Dead" is another slow ballad, but a million times better than "Ya Can't Go Home". The song features The World / Inferno Friendship Society jamming with LOC, and you can somewhat say this song might belong on a Flogging Molly record. "Gringos Son Puercos Feos" is a catchy song, but seems to drag just a tad bit. The record closes with "Operation: M.O.V.E.", which is the best track on this album. The song is about a team of police who burn the house of peaceful protestors, and as they struggle to leave the house, they are executed by a firing squad at the door. The violins, guitars, screaming, everything in this song... is fantastic.

To end, Fuck World Trade is the best thing to come out with this Crack Rock family of bands, and is a definite contender for best album of the year. My only complaints, which leads this to not get a full 10 score, is "Ya Can't Go Home", and "Super Tuesday". If they cut off "YCGH", and put the original version of "Super Tuesday" on the album, this would be a mint-perfect record.

Very much recommended to fans of music everywhere.

-punksarestupid (Punknews.org) Originally reviewed 2004

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Stay Gold - "Pills And Advice"

Last week I bought their new album, "Pills And Advice" (and yes, they are straight-edge - although the lyrics seem to avoid the subject). 12 tracks plus a secret cover, a load of Polaroid artwork, and lyrics oozing with regret and pain to accompany the righteous anger that's present in most punk hardcore.

The album seems to be the logical progression from the EP, with the band still employing the same hardcore punk techniques they bring together for their own style (loads of palm-muting, shouty vocals, strong back-up, fiddly lead guitar bits, punky beatdowns, and meaty drumming). On the whole, the band has delivered what was expected, and fans will definitely not be disappointed.

For newcomers, I'd say the CD would probably be liked, but might seem a little samey. The album shows just how distinctive their style is, but also how similar it can sound. There are quite a few moments throughout the album where they are obviously amazing (the end of "Pity Party" has a beautiful emo breakdown reminiscent of a more introspective Faded Grey, for example), but on the whole the album is probably more for fans than anyone else. Not to say the music is difficult (or bad, for that matter), but that to be fully appreciated it needs thorough listening. If melodic hardcore is your thing, then you'll like it; and probably even love it.

-Al_Days (Punknews.org)  Original Review Posted 2002

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