Tooth & Nail started this year with new release from some terrific
Hardcore-bands (Blindside, Selfmindead), and they almost seemed to forget
Punkrock. But, in February and March, Tooth & Nail striked back with the
introduction of new punkrock-bands like the Deadlines, Element-101 and this
California-based group called Off The Record. I read about them in magazines and
they've often been described as a metal-influenced punkrock-group and that
indeed captures the music of this band. The guitar-parts in most of the songs
refer to a metal-sound, while the other instruments and the singing-parts are as
punkrock as could be. An original combination, but I have to say that this is
the only part of this band's sound that I should call 'original'. They've
listened to the entire Epitaph-roster quite a lot, because I hear a lot of
Pennywise, Strung Out and NoFx influences in their songs. Especially the singer
often reminds me of NoFx's Fat Mike. At the same time they don't seem to want to
be compared with this mainstream-punkrock, as they sing in "Pass The Mic":
"....I'll never bow down and kiss that sorry ol' punk ring."
Anyways, T&N did a good job with signing this band, because I think T&N needed a band like this. But I'm not really impressed by this album, maybe because it sounds too standard to be a punk rock album that can be liked immediately. The metal-influences make it worth listening too, and it's not bad either, but instead of 2-minute punkrock-songs most of the tracks are 3 minutes or longer and that might be too long to keep the listener interested. It's a good album for those who want to be prepared for the upcoming punkrock-summer with new albums of long-time punkrock-veterans Slick Shoes, Squad 5-0, Craig's Brother and MxPx, but I doubt if I still listen to this album after the summer. We'll see...
I give this album 7,5 points out of 10 and I
am looking forward to hear more from this band. Maybe next spring???
Karel Smouter
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