Enemies, S/T, New Disorder Records
Review by Kristian Eilertsen
This record is the Enemies' debut album. It was released through New Disorder
Records, and to celebrate its release on the 25th of September, the Enemies played a
gig with Citizen Fish at Bottom Of The Hill in San Francisco. If you were there
yourself, I won't have to tell you how good they sounded. If you weren't there,
what you missed was an awesome and highly infectious performance by one of the
most exciting new bands on the east bay.
The first thing to attract my attention about this record was the brilliant
cover art by Moses Saarni, and of course the logo art, by none other than my old
hero, Jesse Michaels. not that cover art is the most essential part of a record,
but this wrapping sure boded well for a kick-ass album.
After admiring the artwork for a few minutes, I put the CD on my stereo. The
first thing that hit me was how tight these three guys are as a band. They are
obviously good musicians, which isn't always (far from) a matter of course in
this genre of music. But it was obvious to me, after very few minutes of
listening, that they have a huge potential. I was really bowled over by the way
talent, power and determination flourish side-by-side in the songs. Take a song
like the unnamed instrumental track #7. With very simple, but effective means,
the Enemies create a splendid and powerful song with one of the heaviest and most
spell-binding guitar riffs I've heard for a long time. Mike Pelino is
undoubtedly one of the hottest guitarists in the scene today, and his playing is
a very important part of what makes the Enemies one of the most exciting new bands
around. But to accentuate a member of the Enemies would simply be a huge misstep.
The three members are a tight and strong musical unit and that's what should be
accentuated. Mike Pelino is strongly accompanied by a very powerful rhythm
section. Besides Mike Pelino, this band is made up by drummer Jason Willer and
bassist Rick Jacobus. These guys have been playing together for 3 years now, and
that's probably the main reason for why they deliver their songs with an
incredible and seldom seen accuracy.
What you'll get if you buy the Enemies is an undeniably good punk/hardcore record,
incredibly tight and in sync. They play hardcore with an attitude, without
alluding to metal or East Coast straight edge hardcore. What you'd probably like
to know is, who do they sound like ? Well, to compare this band to any other
bands would be a misstep. Not that there are no comparisons, but Enemies don't
need references to other bands, as they stand great on their own. If someone did
hold a gun to my head and forced me to make comparisons, I'd probably tell him,
that they aren't unlike good old Crimpshrine. The album also reminds me of Green
Day's Insomniac album: Aggressive, straight from the shoulder and thick as a
brick.
Two of the most outstanding songs on the record are War and In Decay. These
songs are good examples of where good musicianship, determination and heavy
riffs can get you. The song War has the most irresistable chorus on the entire
record. It'll get you on your feet screaming along instantly. It's without a
doubt one of the most spell-binding and infectious songs I've heard for a long
time. The song Ready Dead is honest, rude hardcore. Both the music and lyrics
slightly differ from the rest of the album. This is probably because this song
is the only one written by bassist Rick Jacobus. Get Bent is a great opener,
Mike Pelino cutting loose with an insistent riff as the band fairly lash into
the frantic rhythm. Black Heart Lies and Parallels of the Porcupine are classics
to be and stand out as two of the highlights on a very solid record.
One of the things you'll notice about this album is how vigerous it is. It's
impossible to sit/stand still when you're listening to Enemies. You'll be
carried away in a matter of seconds, due to a mix of infectious riffs and the
very energetic and powerful drumming of Jason Willer. Another very important
aspect of what makes the unbelivably vigerous sound, is Rick's tricky technical
bass riffs. This is one powerful rhythm section that is sure to blast you away.
If you're into strong thick punk/hardcore, Enemies is definately the band for
you. If not, they might not be your cup of tea. But regardless of your taste,
you should definately give Enemies a chance. If not because I praised them, then
because you owe it to yourself. Not getting your hands on this album would be a
disgrace to your record collection. Some people claim the scene is dead, but
this is the kind of album that proves them wrong. Hooray for the Enemies !
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