While this is pure death-rock it's how I like my punk rock when the though the dye comes off to reveal it's punk roots. The vocals have a tinge of Jello Biafra to them. It opens with a kick and then relaxes into the neon gloom of the Orange County night on "Death to My Enemies" which comes back with a punch on the chorus. They have the chilly guitar tone haunting the beefier bass line that is a classic staple of the genre. There is more attack to this one and less brooding. "Snitch" rides the bass line with the guitar coloring the background with atmosphere. It is not the album's most engaging vocal performances. The chorus doesn't carry the explosiveness of the earlier songs, while it good this album has a dynamic range and is not always in your face, that energy works better than a more plodding drone they go for on this slower burn. It does gain some traction in the final minute, but could be better paced.
There is a more classic post- punk tempo to "1975" . This is the first song I can really hear moving the dance floor on your typical goth night, it finds the band at more of a middle road in terms of emotional intensity. The rowdier punk attitude rears its head on "Right to the Point". Even though they were peers when this style of punk arose from the gutters of Los Angeles, the vocal phrasing has ample amounts of Rozz Williams. This album is great and a better display of what actual death rock should sound like, the quality of the song writing is a notch under what makes "Only Theater of Pain" a classic. "My Bone" attacks with a similar punk mania. The more deliberate bass driven "Wraith" offers an example of what separates death rock from dark punk. I'll go ahead and round this up to a 9, if you are in mourning that newer band's like Cemetary lost some of their more goth edge then the return of this band will be just what you need.
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