Gothtober - AFI : "Silver Bleeds the Black Sun"

 Did anyone doubt that these guys were into Bauhaus? The opening track actually sounds more like Peter Murphy's solo work. "Behind the Clock" features more motion and showcases Havok as more emotive in his vocal performance. His screaming days may be over, and this seems the logical direction for the band to go as they begin to age out of the Hot Topic brand of punks they found themselves in. Their songs are very concise and get to the point, even amid their brooding. "Holy Visions" features a more Sisters of Mercy-like bassline driving the track. This is nothing new, as bands like Cold Cave and Night Sins have been doing this for some time already, so they are playing catch up. The chorus makes the tribute a little too obvious. 

"Blasphemy & Excess" is back on the more Peter Murphy solo album side of the fence, but you can begin to hear a little more of who they are as a band. By the time it winds around to "Spear of Truth," there is more of a Death in June feel.  A more focused groove would benefit the song. I think their normal fan base is going to be fooled by this sort of thing, by I am reviewing post-punk revival bands all year long, and Peter Murphy just put out a solo album earlier this year that gives me all the fan service I need. 

"Ashspeck in a Green Eye" picks up the pace, as he takes on a more urgent breathy vocals that bounce back up in a register more common for him. I think if they had balanced this out more with what they have been doing up til this point in their career, it would be more effective. Granted, it is still a part of who they are, but the baby feels like it got thrown out with the absinthe here. "VOIDWARD, I BEND BACK" comes a little closer to finding the middle ground. It sounds more like AFI. "Maguerite" sounds a little more like them as well, but is less inspired. "A World Unmade" finds them touching on the more new wave adjacent corner of post-punk. There could be more of a hook. 

The end of the album with more of a punk song that works pretty well at finding the balance. I will, however, round this one down to a 9 as I have higher expectations than these guys just coming across a cover band. They have long blended elements of bands like the Cure, so not sure why it was handled this way, and there is an almost obligatory feel to what they are doing like "Ok guys we need to dial up the goth now" this is coming from someone who is the target audience for this sort of thing so less calculated is what I needed here. 

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Higher Power : "There is Love in the World If You Want It"

 2020's "27 Miles Under Water" was a great album as the band took old familiar sounds and made them their own. Their new album is more optimistic. I'm not sure this is the record label wanting them to be more like Turnstile, since no one sells enough records to worry about that much, less compromise your integrity for it. The first song lets you know they are the same band that released "27 Miles Underwater," but there is a pop punk vibe that is coming more into focus. When it comes to "Count the Miles," there is an almost tangible Die Kreuzen influence on the vocals. It took a second listen for it to sink in with me. 

The first great song is the more brooding melody of " All the Rage". There is a bit of the anthemic pop punk feel creeping in here, but it's tolerable. "Better" is more of an emo ballad that recalls the days of Myspace. Though a creeping sense of shoegaze sulks around the song. The more explosive hardcore feel of "Two Doors Down' finds the vocals going into a more volatile scream as the chug of guitar follows the emotional current. "Lunar Tuesday' perhaps goes too far down the pop-punk path to sound more like Blink 182 than the Get Up Kids, which is where the line sits for me. 

"Kaleidoscope" is a mixed bag of melody, heartbreak, and angst, trying to find its place in the sound. The last two songs finds them beginning to lose their way in introspective. I am all for experimenting and being atmospheric, but "Wide Awake" has little to keep it anchored. They double down on the more Deftones-like ambiance with the sugary glaze of Blink-182 coating it for the last song. Rounding this one down to an 8, it doesn't hit like the first album to me, but they are still the same band, just going for a different vibe If you were into their more emo side, this might still work for you.  

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The Top 10 Punk Albums of 2024

Punk has been in an interesting place. There is no shortage of people claiming to play it, but to find real punk driven by the desire to not conform is a harder aspiration, given the masses' willingness to conform.   These albums captured the true spirit of punk, by doing their own thing. It was a competitive year for the genre, and tough choices had to be made.   After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year. 2024The very fact that these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Punk albums of 2024

10 -Modern Life is War -"Tribulation Worksongs" 

This compilation of their three most recent 7"s makes it clear they know what they are doing, making them one of the most solid punk bands going today.  Despite screaming their way through the  Stooges cover,  here they prove themselves, and at least they know who the Stooges are making them real punk. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/01/modern-life-is-war-tribulation-worksongs.html

 9-Seeyouspacecowboy- "Coup de Grace" 

This album finds them in a more kinetic grooving take on hardcore that is not unlike Callous Doaboys sonically, though leaning in a more Myspace-influenced era of sound. There is an equal balance of sass and substance. The breakdowns are not delivered predictably, though the hooks are poppy enough to conform to expectations in this regard. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/07/seeyouspacecowboy-coup-de-grace.html

9-Amyl and the Sniffers- "Cartoon Darkness" 

At times this Australian band indulges in pop-infected bliss thanks to the pla7ful attitude of their frontwoman Amy Taylor. She must have listened to The Spice Girls and the Runaways in equal measure as a kid., and typically carries the album with her charisma. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/amyl-and-sniffers-cartoon-darkness.html

                 

7-Chain Cult -"Harm Reduction" 

This band from Greece has a punk energy to them though the guitar tone rings out with a darker nuance. The ocals stay firmly on the punk side, against the creepy bass lines and the guitar's spectral tension. All factoring in to sound that is more interesting than your average punk band. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/gothtober-chain-cult-harm-reduction.html

6-Drug Church -"PRUDE" 

 These guys came out blazing in all the right ways on their new album. It has a hard-core drive, but still some hooks and melody, though the vocals are more roared. This is a moodier album that t makes me think of Bob Mould, but pumped up on modern hardcore production values.  Yet this is not as in-your-face as a hard-core album is, but enough to earn its place here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/drug-church-prude.html

5-Rotten UK - "Agent of Chaos" 

Remember when punk was fun? It cared about songs and thrashed with a darker mood lurking under it. Yeah, I am talking about bands like the Exploited and GBH. Bands that obviously influenced this band, take the angry fire and make their own sound with it. Not only did they capture the sound, but they also wrote song catchy songs while not compromising the aggression getting there. They know the finer points of riffs and dynamics. Perfect music for the current state of things.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/rotten-uk-age-of-chaos.html

 

4- High Vis -"Guided Tour '

This time around things are not as tense or dark, in fact, the guitar jangles and rings out with a tone that owes more to "Joshua Tree" era U2. I don't need them to be post-punk so the more upbeat songs work for me as they are well written and sound great. The London-based band leans more toward a punk thing for the second song, though it is more nuanced than most punk. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/high-vis-guided-tour.html

3-Whores- "WAR" 

 After an 8 year wait, the Atlanta band is back with their biggest most polished album yet. This more refined, could even be thought of as more accessible.  The Spinal Tap-like cycling out of drummers finds them with drummer number five Douglas Barrett behind the kit. A great deal of the punk sound has been shed, for hooky syncopation that feels more anthemic.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/whores-war.html

 

2-Alakine Trio-""Blood, Hair and Eyeballs" 

Everything seems dialed in tighter for this album. Their melodic sensibility sometimes reminds me of Bad Religion if they were into the Addams Family instead of politics. It might not be the most rebellious or rowdy punk album you will hear this year, but it is going to be hard to beat the kind of presentation they have dialed in here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/01/alkaline-trio-blood-hair-and-eyeballs.html

1-Gouge Away -"Deep Sage"

 Been six years since the Flordia punk band released their last album. They return with the kind of angular dissonant hardcore-tinged rock you expect from them.  Christina Michelle is crying out with the same level of abrasive edge she had last time around. The album gains more nuance with each song, and it is more of a sonic tapestry than the raw outpouring of emotion they initially hit you with. They have matured to perfection here. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/gouge-away-deep-sage.html

SeeYouSpaceCowboy : "Coup De Gr​á​ce"

 

This wild ride opens with a loungy ditty featuring iRis,EXE, which does throw itself into a more dissonant heaviness. "Subtle Whispers to Take Your Breath Away" finds them in a more kinetic grooving take on hardcore that is not unlike Callous Doaboys sonically, though leaning in a more Myspace-influenced era of sound. There is an equal balance of sass and substance. The breakdowns are not delivered predictably, though the hooks are poppy enough to conform to expectations in this regard. They cram a great deal into these three-minute ditties. They do get a little happy for my tastes on the anthemic "And the Two Slipped into the Shadows", though the pop-punk moments are more tolerable than what other artists that dabble in the genre do. At times it sounds like grindcore with Panic at the Disco production. I can understand both what people might like about these guys, as well as what metal heads might not like about them. 

"Red Wine and Discontent" keeps a hushed romantic tension that they fire back against with their bouncy take on punk. The sung vocals offer catchy melodies. They jerk you are with the fun-house flavored riffing. "Lubricant Like Kerosene" thumps with a disco-like groove, while they carry a more metalcore aggression at the same time. They prove that their spastic theatrics of sound, do not keep them from writing a compact catchy song on "Silhouettes in Motion". This is not to say they are immune from allowing chaos to disrupt all the moving pieces in motion, as this is what happens with "To the Dance Floor For Shelter". 

They are back to a dance-inducing groove with "Rhythm and Rapture".  Dancey emo groove are once again their strength on "Sister With a Gun" triffs and they once again balance sugary melodies with stomping riffs and angry screams. "Chewing the Scenery" feels like the pop-punk formula that they often default to has worn thin, but they incorporate enough quirky elements to make it work again on the last album, I will give this one a 9.5, as it's ambitious but pulls of the chaos and hooks in equal measure. 

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Black Bouquet : "Pray to the Knife"

 

This is an interesting indie rock band out of North Carolina, who experimentally paints the songs with androgynous vocals and grandiose swells in a My Chemical Romance-like cabaret at times. There is a very theatrical flare to what they do that I appreciate since rock bands do not go big like they once did. The second is very different, though falls into a more emotional form of pop punk, that goes light on the punk side of that equation. Synth helps with the grooves here. The quivering sneer of the vocal of the vocals brings an overabundance of My Chemical Romance comparisons. Going into " Serpents" this is almost more exaggerated if not for the dancier tempo that has more in common with the Killers. Any of the darkness hinted at earlier in the album has been danced away.

You gotta give it to these kids for being ambitious. The album is also well produced considering how much they have going on here. While it might be a less radio-oriented sound,  the vocals would sit better back against the guitars. The bass line leading into "Footsteps" adds a little more creep into the song movement. There are lots of subtle layers of sound applied to this song. They also put a great deal of thought into how the arrangement would dynamically flow, which I respect. There is more of a late 80s synth riff that keeps 'Carved" in motion. I can also hear touches of Muse influence sprinkled in, so this is not just a My Chemical Romance tribute. 

It makes sense that a song titled "Prom" would sound like emo disco. This would have been huge in 2004. The song's more melodic segues work really well. From the first song they had me wanting more dark moments like the direction they head in on "A Window With No Curtains".  The intensity they build the song with makes it the album's strongest moment, They rock out more like Placebo on "Ashes". When a more deliberate bass line is applied to a song like "Run and Hide" the results are more effective. Though it's not the album's strongest chorus. The sonic freakout at the end of "No More Blood" might exceed their grasp. The last song has the kind of dramatic build you expect from these kids at this juncture in the album. I will give this album an 8.5  not  something I will find myself listening to above and beyond reviewing the album, but there is an audience for it, and they accomplished what they set out to do , which is impressive as it was ambitious. 

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Barely Civil : "I'd Say I'm Not Fine"

 Often when discussing originality I will use the phrase "They are no Reinventing the wheel here". Coming out with something totally original is not even the goal. Some of the more ground-breaking artists we think of changing the game can still have their influences traced back...even bands like Nirvana or Slayer. This band takes varied parts of varied genres and combines them in interesting ways. It never feels contrived or like a tribute to any particular artist. Are there influences in motion? Sure I can hear both Death Cab For Cutie and Brand New in their musical DNA. They throw in punchy hardcore almost gang vocal accents at times as well. There is a balance of melody you can follow and atmosphere. 

The strum of acoustic guitar does get dangerously to Dashboard Confessional's brand of introspective pop punk. Even when they rock out more on this one it feels it needs more aggression to avoid sounding like something from a CW show. It could also be this particular song is not melancholy enough for me as the chord progression feels more hopeful. The is more of a rock jangle to the guitars crashing into "Better Now". What works is what I referenced earlier the idea of more punk gang vocals just accenting the chorus. 'Dwindling" finds them spacing out into a much thicker shoe gaze drone.  It drones around in this dream-like state for the first two and a half minutes before things crash to life. They seem to make the most of dynamics, so what is not to like about that? 

'Finding Time" does pop punk pretty well, their take on it lies on the introspective side and is less Fall Out Boy. I was not expecting the droning start to "Invading Space". The arrangement of the song is the album's most original moment. I like their willingness to experiment. The last song finds the album ending with a bit of a whimper with the faint meander of a folkish ballad. But perhaps that is just the timid way of saying goodbye. I will give this album, a 9, I would prefer more of the hardcore gang vocals than the Dashboard Confessional tugs at heart strings. It's well written and not the same old same old even when it comes to the more pop-punk moments.

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One Step Closer : "All You Embrace"

I appreciate the effort put into the songwriting here and the willingness to use memory as it pulls on the strings of nostalgia back to a time when this kind of thing felt fresh. I would be more impressed if this album came out in 1999. Over the years this sort of thing has weathered has come with it the bastardization when bands like Blink 182 and Jimmy Eat World, sold out to capture the radio waves. It is hard to separate that sort of thing from the melodies that possess songs like "The Gate".  Not the only song where they swing for the fences with anthemic dynamics, but most noticeable.  This diminishes the punk or hardcore side of what they are doing. There are so many bands capable of being true to both, Turnstile and Take Offense being the first two who come to mind. 

Some songs just conform to what the expectations of the genres are by keeping a sonic middle of the road, I think they could stand to be more aggressive as the more poppy nuances take them in a more Get Up Kids-like direction at best, as other times it sounds like color by numbers emo-pop punk before it descended into Myspace. Not that they just have to rely on screamed vocals but taking some of the sugar out of the singing might help. On the other hand, I like the vocals on the verses of "Esruc' which is one of the album's stronger songs.  Then with "Slow to Let Go" they split the difference between hardcore and pop punk in a way that feels bland. The last song almost feels like the jammed-out resolution of the previous song,. 

Things swing to the other end of the creative pendulum and everything falls into place for "Topanga".  They step into the ghosts of radio past on "Giant's Despair". the last song feels like it is the jammed-out resolution of the previous song and while I like the dynamic build and wish I heard more like it through the album it is almost too little too late as the album was allowed to meander in late 90s nostalgia. I     will give this album an 8, they are skilled songwriters and I appreciate what they are going for but it falls on the side of pop-punk too much for my tastes, but not denying they are good at this style of music, which I can't really call punk or hard-core.  Dropped on Run For Cover Records. 

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Strung Out : "Dead Rebellion"

 I understand that once punks learn to play their instruments they become metal bands. Even with this understanding, there was a jarring change in Strung Out over the years I was unprepared.  It had been some time since I listened to them so I had to go back and give their 19994 debut "Another Day in Paradise " a spin to refresh my memory. I am not crazy they were more of a Bad Religion-like take on pop-punk It's a bigger production for sure. Jason Cruz has improved as a singer, and there is less owed to Bad Religion. The opening track almost feels like Poppa Roach. Much like earlier AFI some moments feel like they are influenced by LA Guns. This band is from Los Angeles so that is not surprising. I some ways this is only the logical sound I should have expected from punk coming from the City of Angels in this day and age. 

"New Gods" makes more sense and sound a little more punk. Lyrically it seems like he is just quoting cliches. "White Owls" works better, and one weird thing is the album has a different sound after the first two songs, which is more raw and live sounding and works better for what they do. Cruz's vocals also get more melodic and dynamically nuanced as things progressed. He has always been one of the better punk singers. Not all of these moments are as inspired as "Cages" feels more like filler trying to find its place in 2024. "Empire Down' sounds like Duran Duran making pop punk. 

"Resistance" works well for what they do as it feels like who they are now meeting their earlier punk work. There is a little bit of that 80s hair rock feel in a few places. I don't mind their more melodic side in fact it is more interesting than if this was just a one, two, three, go... punk album. Most of this album's success of mistakes lies in how the two are integrated. The drummer to 'Ceremony" feels off in this regard. "Vanessa's Song" works really well at finding the best balance of sounds. "Dystopian Party Bus" marries punk with a more 80s radio rock feel. "Plastic Skeletons" ends the album with a little more middle-of-the-road rock feel. I will give this album an 8.5, it is better than most bands from the 90s  are doing,  for as long as they have been at it things were bound to change and they just became the kind of rockers their surroundings turned them into.The most punk part of it might be that Fat Wrek Chords is releasing it.  

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Alkaline Trio : "Blood, Hair and Eyeballs"

 

I first started caring about this band when I found out two of the members are fellow card-carrying members of the Church of Satan. They are making very catchy pop-punk with dark underpinnings. I have enjoyed everything I have heard from these guys in the past. but everything seems dialed in tighter for this album. Their melodic sensibility sometimes reminds me of Bad Religion if they were into the Addams Family instead of politics. The anthemic chords of "Versions of You" remind me of the Scorpions in places. With songs about being stalked by bulletproof robots, how can you go wrong? 

There is a little more skip in their step on "Scars" but it's not happy enough pop-punk to become a deal breaker for me. They also experiment with some cool guitar tones. This is a really well-produced album, though not so much that it has all of the punk lost in the slick mix. The biggest influence from Matt Skiba's time in Blink 182 can be felt on "Shake With Me". The breakdown in the song's third act compensates for this. The title track is a break-up song of sorts, that is more of a personalized take on the album's larger theme of apocalypse culture. 

The more matter-of-fact tone of "Broken Down in a Time Machine" finds them walking more of a pop-punk middle ground. It is not the album's catchiest chorus, but it works better than most punk we are likely hearing this year, as these guys came from another time when songwriting was king. The vocals are not obligatory yelling, but purposeful crooning. The album closes with "Teenage Heart" which coasts off of a more lingering tension. Lyrically the song takes the turn you might have hoped was coming, These guys play off the clever biting wit of the lyrics, which helps to set them apart. I will give this album a 9.5, it might not be the most rebellious or rowdy punk album you will hear this year, but it is going to be hard to beat the kind of presentation they have dialed in here. 

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Atreyu : "The Beautiful Dark Life"

 Having reviewed "Baptized' when it was released two years ago. I was already familiar with the change in direction the band undertook since parting ways with Alex and having Brandon step out from behind the drums to focus on singing.  Their songs are more radio-friendly than the band I dug who released "The Curse". I would not call them a hardcore band. This album has been slowly released as a series of eps, and two songs into this album am not sure I would them a metal as they give me little reason to think of them that way until "Capitol F" which carries more of a crunch that almost sounds like nu-metal. I like this song much better than the first two. 

"GOD - DEVIL" has more of an industrial throb to it. The vocals try a little too hard to belt the chorus out in an anthemic matter. It works off a pretty simple formula that still has some life left in it. The band is firmly locked into an anthemic songwriting formula that finds a pop-punk sensibility prevail on the chorus while they vent their angst on the verses. The hooky chorus of "Gone" perhaps is the most effective of this more commercial swing for the fences. 

"I Don't Want to Die" feels like a hair metal ballad. This is not surprising when you consider their breakthrough album has a Bon Jovi cover on it. However, the execution here does not bear enough grit to separate them from bands like Avenged Sevenfold. The songwriting is almost as solid as the arena-rocking hits penned by Desmond Child or Aldo Nova in the 80s. "Immortal" stays with the status quo for commercial hard rock, with the obligatory screamed breakdown that paints the band with a contrived sense of menace. 

When they cross over into a more nu-metal feel, their best Poppa Roach impersonation is more interesting than pretending they are a hard-core band by any stretch of the imagination. Back when they had vampire girls on their album covers they were not fooling anyone into thinking they were a goth band but it was darker than what is happening here. The ballad "Forevermore" does not feel necessary, but they find who they are in 2023 with nu-metal rap in the verses of "Come Down" that blends pop punk in the choruses. The title track that closes the album makes more sense in its attempts to remind themselves of who they are as a band while contrasting it with a pop-punk chorus. I will give this album an 8 as it is well written for what it is and well produced, what it is just does not happen to be something I personally feel the need to listen to again.  

Pierce the Veil : 'the Jaws of Life"

 

This is a band I only know from the Punk Goes Pop series of tribute albums. Much like that series they strike me as being more on the pop side of the equation. Now five albums later the band has continued to shine their songwriting formula to create something that is catchier than it has any right to be. Having come on the scene at the end of the Myspace era, there is still that torch burning that they carry. Singer Vic Fuentes, has tenor voice that sounds like he is in high school. It is impressive that he has kept this youth vigor now that he is almost forty.  If Justin Beiber made metal the results might be similar. Which is better than it sounds on paper. "Even When I'm Not With You" has a really strong melody. The rest of the band knows to stay out of the way and let him do his thing. 

The riff to "Emergency Contact" feels almost like a Weezer song. Sonically they are also not far from My Chemical Romance's less grandiose moments. The emotional pleading of Fuentes sometimes has an androgynous desperation in it's timbre that makes me think of Placebo. "Flawless Execution" finds his voice squeaking a little higher. Normally this sort of thing would be too happy for me, but they make it work. The bass line is pretty cool to this one. The drummer from 3rd Eye Blind plays on this album, which it does feel like that until the title track, which is the first song that has a more 90s alt pop feel to the drumming. Produced by Mutemath's singer, this album sounds great. The title track is also the first song that did not feel like it lived up to what the first half of the album did, though it does not suck either.

"Damn the Man, Save the Empire" has a playful groove that works for what they do and lays the ground work for their singer to shine which is the most important they have going . Subject wise I think this album finds them getting morbidly reflective which might give the song's a slightly darker feel, that might factor in to why it resonates more with me. "Resilience" is more reflected, but lends it self to melody. They dip into Joji like pop with "Shared Trauma".  Could this become a Tiktok ear worm for that generation? Sure. It's not my favorite song on the album, but it works well for what they are doing. "So Far So Fake" is moodier. It took a second listen to digest it . The chorus is happier than expected perhaps like Silversun Pickups in this regard. "Fractures' minds me of the best things about having pop music cross over into emo and emo crossing into pop. I will round  this album up to a 10 as the smart song writing , and emotionally vulnerable singing makes a great combination for those who like the emphasis on pop melodies when it comes to rock music. 

Anti-Flag : "Lies They Tell Our Children"

These guys have been at it for thirty years , but sound as young as most of the kids out there. There is more of a pop punk feel to the opener , before bringing things down with a more urgent tension on "Modern Meta Medicine". Jesse Leach from Killswitch Engage lends his voice to create a more Myspace era of hard core sound. Sometimes the more modern emo tinge that wants to bring back the 90s works and sometimes it sounds more derivative. This album is ripe with guest spots from the bands who flourished since the MYSPACE like Silverstein, Rise Against and Bad Religion. The impact of most of these is minimal so I am not going to go out of my way to pick those part. 

It is interesting to hear how the big production that now is a staple of this kind of thing is supposed to be marketing it as punk, when it lack a great deal of the organic reckless nature of what punk is about. at times if you told me this was a Poppa Roach album, I might as well believe you. with "Imperialism" they try to adopt enough Cockney swagger to convince you they are punk. Sometimes they try to sell you on this with big Green Day like anthems that have enough Americana in the melody to bring the Dropkick Murphys to mind. They continue to prove themselves as effective songwriters, but the massive production makes them sound like they are trying too hard, and often less would have been more. Some of the more dramatic elements driving these youthful anthems make them sound more relevant  in terms of what kids are listening today.  It works really well on "Shallow Grave", which might be the album's best song. 

There is almost an AC/DC feel to the riff of "Work Struggle" which is more punk than the more blink 182 like leanings of their sound. 'NVREVR" is oddly more pop punk.There  is a marginally darker mood on the last song, though the chorus are intent on being big anthems which makes it hard for them to also be dark in the way they swing for the fences. they are obviously very well aware of the current trends in punk music and could have stood to have taken a page from AFI in this regard. I will give these guys credit for adapting  to the times and give this album an 8.5, as it is well made and accomplishes what they set out to do.  

  

NOFX : "Double Album"

 

My expectation for these guys is pretty low. I have heard some great moments over from them over the years, but they are very consistent with their lowest common denominator stuff from the 90s on their most recent album that is largely comprised of songs that did not get used. In some ways it's impressive that they are able to pick up where they left off in terms of their 90s sound. They are irreverent pop punk. The first two songs are very straight forward. The do not begin experimenting until "Don't Count on Me", which veers off into a Sublime like white boy reggae. They continue on with what they started here with "Johanna Constant Teen" though it goes off into a more up-tempo punk style with the taunt guitar riffs that they are known for.

"Punk Rock Cliche" takes some time to find itself, it feels more like an idea they came up with from just jamming on and brought to together. They are still more complex than the one two, three go, style as they play off time, and work from skilled tension. "Fuck Day Six " finds them getting back to the kind of anti-political correctness that punk should embody. Lyrically, it goes into Big Mike detoxing in a celebrity rehab or sorts. Some of the vocal phrasing is awkward but the story he is trying to tell makes it worth it. The same could be said for "Is it Too Soon If Time is Relative" which makes fun of Stephen Hawking. "Alcopollack" which is about their alcoholic road manager, The strain of their aged voices is more noticed on this song. 

"Three Against Me" seemed to be about the pranks Fat Mike's brothers played on him. He goes over the hardships of growing up with the kind of bratty self-deprecation you expect from punk. The last song is pretty color by numbers punk. The is a more melodic Bad Religion feel to it, and things get even more melodic with the solo section at the end of the song. i will give this album a 9 it's efficient and works for who the band is, most of my complaints voice here is just what punk is and I am typically more of a metal guy, but regular readers can attest I have also been listening to punk since the 80s. This is not an actual double album.

Coheed & Cambria : " Vaxis – Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind"

Earlier in their career the band stated that they were not Rush fans, which seems pretty absurd, as they are pretty much the emo version of Rush. Though they are dwarfed by Rush when it comes to raw talent. The first song does not embrace the more metallic edge they have displayed on past albums and finds the band leaning into mor of the Warped tour pop they have sometimes clung to during the Myspace years. The harder edge rock does rise up on "Shoulders". Where they have shown a proggy inclination in the past this go around is very straight froward. Almost too much so. The production is very big and finds the overall sound to have more mainstream rock appeal. 

Not even pop-punk, "A Disappearing Act" crosses right over into pop. If you wanted to hear a band sell out well this would be that moment. On one hand there have been moments in the past where Paramore was playing at the gym and I mistook it for Coheed, so I had foreseen this coming, perhaps a decade ago. There is a little darker tension to the groove of "Love Murder One". Even the more radio friendly hook in the chorus works better for who they are than what went down in the previous song.  But is this "Welcome Home"? Um no.  I can make more Michael Jackson comparisons than Rush here. Or perhaps the Police on the riff leading into "Blood". They do a better job of making pop music on "the Liars Club" which puts them more in the league of Fall Out Boy. 

They sound pretty much like the Weeknd on "Bad Man".  "Our Love" is pretty much just terrible any way you slice it. It might as well be Bruno Mars. I could not make it all the way through the song is how bad it is. Which has not happened in some time. "Ladders of Supremacy" is back closer to their older prog sound. The song after this one leans in this direction as well but is less focused. The album closes not far from this but something more along the lines of Meatloaf and Michael Jackson writing a song for a "Nverending Story Remake" but with less focus than those two might have, I will give this a 7, which feels like a lower score than it is, considering how good this band used to be in the early 2000s. 

Billy Talent : 'Crisis of Faith"

This is the first time I have really given this Canadian rock band much of a listen, I have really only known them in name alone. This is their 6th album. They are fairly aggressive with a slight arena metal influence on the opener then mellow out dramatically to a saxy Pink Floyd extent on the second song. I like the first song better, but it is good to hear they are well rounded. "Beg to Differ" is the kind of pop punk that I was afraid these guys were in the first place and the main reason I did not check them out before this. They are good at what they do, it is just way too happy for me here. This is not the only time they venture in to this as they repeat this with "Reactor" which is more tolerable.  

If pop punk was the only problem, I might be a little more patient but when we come to "the Wolf Up6" it works off ever tired trick of commercial rock and comes across as trying to hard and not original enough, while also lacking balls. "Judged" tries to work off a faster more punk tinged energy, though it does not feel much more convincing. "Hanging Out With All the Wrong People" feels like a harder rock version of Sublime, though this has an endearing 90s quality to it if you are feeling nostalgic for such. From a songwriting perspective it is one of the album's best songs.  

"The End of Me" is another song for sunshine and drinking at the beach, so they are early for the summer. Pop punk was never really my thing so there is that. They are good at making it, this is just way too happy for me. "One Less Problem " has a Green Day like skip in its step. This might be a selling point for some people, I am not one of those people In the more melodic moments like the last song it reminds me more of Styx, who I like a great deal better than Green Day. I will give this album a 7.5, as it is like I have said throughout this review too happy for me, but round it up to an 8 if this is your sort of thing.  

Face to Face : 'No Way Out but Through"

 I have not listened to these guys since the 90s, well at least on a regular basis there might have been a moment of weakness or three where I got nostalgic for this kind of 90s punk or perhaps was making a list for one blog or another that asked me to dip back into these years. Not much has changed and it plays to their favor. The first song with hookier and more melodic than when they default to the faster though more punk sound. The third song confirms we are not getting much in the way of new tricks but not sure much of that would have been wanted in the first place.  It is like the average between the first song and the second, though with an almost ska like bounce to it. The bass player seems to be the most on it He adds an underlying melodic sense , the vocals fall where you would expect them to most of the time. This is the sort of thing that became emo, 

"Anonymous" has a much more straight forward feel to it. It works for what they are doing but is not what I call their strongest song writing. This reminds me more of the path the Get Up kids went down. Though they are not as emotive. I think what I liked about this era of punk was the more emotive feel since it was less happy sounding than most punk. Once again, this bass player saves the day.  Some of this darker sound perhaps tempered with a Bad Religion feel can be heard on "Ruination Here We Come", this works better for me than the happier sound of "Long Way Down" . It sounds like the bass player came up with the riff to "Vertigo-go" , if that is the case, they need to let him write more of the songs.   It is more upbeat than some of the other sounds I have preferred from them, but it works. "You Were Wrong About Me" works off the kind of winning formula that made this music memorable in its heyday. 

"Spitshine" is drum driven and runs on the kind of gas that flows through more rock influenced blue collar punk like Social Distortion , so they are showing they can do a little bit of it all. The bass player once again shows that he is the glue along with the drummer to give this band one of the strongest back bones from the 90s. punk scene. Even with all of this "This is My Vanishing Act" could use vocals that do a little more as everything begins to take on almost too uniform of a sound. The last song is more up-tempo, but with textured guitars and vocals that a little more room to breathe.  I will give this album an 8.5, wish I had more time before the end of the year to see how this grows on me.  They do prove they were one of the better bands from this era.

the Used : "Heartwork"

I summed up my initial thoughts on this album by posting this on my Facebook page

Wait a second, I have all these so called former "scene kids" on my time line and no one is going to bring up the fact the Used's new album is a total pop record? So I guess you were just into the feathery bangs ?

Now the question I am going to answer is …"But is it good pop music" .

Obviously they do not make music in a vacuum . They have record label's to appease. Panic at the Disco! made a leap from being a Myspace emo band to a hug pop band. These guys wanted in on the band wagon. They wanted to do it with out totally alienating their fan base. This is first two songs are more pop punk. The singer Fever 333 helps them out with some lite screaming. "Big Wanna Be" is the first pop crossover. It is a decent song unless you are hoping for them to re-open a box of sharp objects. "Bloody Nose" doesn't suck either . Is it the band at their best ? No , but I can still accept this if I am being open minded .  "Wow, I Hate This Song" is when things go side ways. It sounds like they wrote it for a Muppets musical.

I am not opposed to electronic elements. I am opposed to wishy washy song writing. I am opposed to things getting as happy as they do on "Cathedral Bell" . They should have told their producer to save this one for the Weeknd. He would have done a better job. There is no way to make excuses for what happens here. Bert McCracken's voice does sound better. He is doing more with it from a singing perspective. "1984(Ifinite Jest" does have a pretty cool bass line . It reminds me of the Issues. Then things do not work as well for "Gravity's Rainbow".  Production wise they are going for the Panic at the Disco thing, no way to deny it. We are back to more electronic pop that is even dancier than before with "Clean Cut Heals" . Another one better suited for the Weeknd. As a song it is better than the previous one I said this about.

The title track...I am not going to rant about the Carcass album of the same name that came first. It's just a spoken word interlude. Bert's lyrics were never good enough to merit this to begin with. As far as pop goes "the Lighthouse" is the first that I really dig on this album. Mark from Blink 182, another sell out is in on this. Lucky for them I like pop music. The Blink 182 connection doesn't end there are Travis Barker appears on the song after than, which doesn't work as well. It is kinda boring. The singer from Beartooth shows up on "the Lottery" . "Darkness Bleed" that comes after it is far more interesting. I had to listen to " To Feel Something" three times in order to feel something about it, at the end of the day it reminds me of  "I Don't Want to Live Forever" by Taylor Swift. Which coming from me is more of a compliment than intended. I will give this one a 7, I know these guys can do better .

Gothtober -Alkaline Trio "Is This Thing Cursed"

Almost goth by association. One of them is a card carrying member of the Church of Satan and they have never really made it a big deal, which I can respect. I have always liked this band , though they are kinda like Tiger Army in the sense some times even with the shadows around their songs they can still be too happy for me. These guys start of this album reminding me of a pop punk version of Murder By Death. The opener starts of mellower and more intimate with a piano before building in a way that is not as pop punk as where "Black Bird " goes . Lyrically they are darker on "Demon and Division". The formula so far seems to be. The start off the song with some interesting almost experimentation, since we are talking about the more straight forward genre of punk rock, then when we get to the first chorus, the anthemic pop punk stuff starts.

"Little Help?" starts of pop punk right out of the gate. For what this is they are good at it. I prefer they smoother way the vocals are handled on "I Can't Believe" and the palm muted tension of the guitar. This sounds like it could have come from the 90s, but that is fine with me as that is the time when this kinda thing was at it's creative peak. There is a slight hint of what we would later emo touching the melodies. There is a similar dynamic employed on "Sweet Vampires". Though this one is a little more upbeat. A friend of mine said he thought the Misfits started pop punk. On the song "Pale Blue Ribbon" I can hear that. "Goodbye Fire Island" makes me think they might be straight but not narrow. That's just the lyrics , the rest of the song is pretty decent.

"Stay" has a hint of country to it. After this I have to give additional listens when it all starts running together , the melodies on "Heart Attacks" seem to have a little more thought than your average pop punk. Not that these guys have ever really settled for being your average pop punk. "Worn so Thin" is more rushed and falls more neatly into what you might expect from pop punk. This faster pace is ramped up going into "Throw Me to the Lions". "Krystalline"  is an acoustic song that makes them break out from their comfortable formula. I'll give this album a 7.5 , since some of the pop punk predictability can wear thin, but even then these guys put more thought into what they do than the bulk of that genre.

Anti-Flag : "American Fall"

Despite the predictions on social media after Trump's win, 2017 has not has not been a big year for punk. Sure some punk album's have come out , but no more than normal. These guys have been around since 96, so they have held on longer than most pop punks bands from that area, perhaps it's because they did not shine the pop side of their hooks up as much as say Blink 182. Though these guys have always struck me as being more from an Offspring or Bad Religion mold. The second song is more run of the mill than the first. This album is well produced, which might have taken some of the punk snarl from it. One of the fools from Good Charlotte produced this so that factors in on the pop meter. The first song starts off as a strummed sing a long and then goes into more of a ska bounce. My problem with ska is it's way too happy. In their promo picture one of the guys is wearing an Operation Ivy shirt so I should not be that surprised. They then proceed to sound like a pop infused Rancid on "Trouble Follows Me".

"Finish What We Started " makes it obvious that bass player is the most talented member of this band. The big choruses are beginning to get annoying. "Liar" then makes a pretty good effort to get this album back to being punk. There is a darker note to "Digital Blackout" which makes it one of the album's best songs.Here the big sing along chorus reminds me more of 80s hair metal. From there things get back to being too happy. "Racist" is one of the more lame brain moments, with lyrics that could have come from their Facebook feed. In fact sonically the final three songs fall rather flat with "Throw It Away" being the best of the three.

I think giving this one a 6 is being pretty generous as it has a few moments , but over all lacks the danger that punk should have. I am ok with the slick production if something with more depth is being packaged in it. These songs could very well be left over from the days of Myspace.

Makeout : "the Good Life"

Wait is Myspace still a thing? I mean I have a soft spot for the first wave of emo. Then it collided with pop punk for miked results. I mean I like the first Brand New album which delved into this sort of thing, and I like the first Taking Back Sunday album. These guys dial up the pop and infuse it with pop culture so I feel like I am reading a teenager's texts set to music. If Taylor Swift was a guy less enamored with pop and having not country background, she might sound like this, but then she wouldn't be Taylor Swuift either, so there is that. There is an 808 hip hop beat introduced on the 2nd song. So this is where this kind of music went after that cover of "Lollipop". I think some of the the more dramatic girls I am friends with on social media on the basis of breast size might be into these guys as they would relate to the lyrics and think it was something real for adults to singing about and not get the joke. I am not sure these guys are really getting the joke They do remind me a little of the Nightmare of You on "Lisa" . It's a little more serious but not as catchy as the first two songs.

The verse riffs sound like the big Fall Out Boy breakdowns and some of the Used sappier moments. 'Ride it Out" is a song just waiting to be on the soundtrack of some CW show. The verse works for me , though the chorus is slightly anti climatic considering how big these guys normally go. There press release compares them to cross-between Paramore and Steel Panther. I don't hear any Steel Panther. The songs are all in the two and a half to three minute radio range. There is more of an upbeat tension to "Open Minded" but the lyrics pretty much suck. I need these guys to at least have clever lyrics because if that is not there then I am supposed to take them more serious than is possible. The ballad comes when it comes to " You Can't Blame Me" . This finds the band getting back in a direction that works better for them. To be from Boston they certainly sound like they are from Los Angeles. I guess Berklee is teaching them to whore out as soon as they can.

"Clorkwork" finds the backing vocals too big and silly. The lyrics show improvement, though they tak about being jaded once again, which is cliche I can only handle once. They chorus gets bouncy it's so happy. They really give there producer props, but I think this would sound better with a more compressed practice room type sound. They just used the Fall Out Boy Pro-tools settings on this one. There is piano that has not real need to be on this album when we get to "Till We're Gone". The chorus finds them really cheesing the fuck out. It's this point in the album that I started alternating between listening to this and the new Exhumed and they are certainly at polar opposite ends of the spectrum. The bass tone gets beefed up a little bit for "Salt Lake City".  "Secrets" is strummed Dashboard Confessional break up song, though it has a salty vapid flavor that is not like Dashboard. The brief punk of "Where is My Charger" is just an interlude. "Blast Off" doesn't offer anything we have not heard from these guys are their on the cuff influences.  I'll give this album an 8 as it succedes at doing what they wanted it to do , not the most original thing I have ever heard but I am sure it's the soundtrack to someone's senior year in high school and they are more likely taking this more serious than a grown ass man like myself can.