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Record Reviews1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 | 0-9| A| B| C| D| E| F| G| H| I| J| K| L| M | | N| O| P| Q| R| S| T| U| V| W| X| Y| Z| < Prev Section | Next Section >  RSS Feed
PROSTITUTES,THE:
Kill Them before They Eat: CD
I can recall back in the
early ‘80s when the split first developed between the negative punks and the
positive punks. Since I had already done some serious time
living-fast-and-nearly-dying-young, I decided to throw my lot in with the
positive punks. Yet I found that I had some rebellious urge that would not let
me fully embrace total positivity. I found that I had to have my negative punk
reprieve from time to time to keep my sanity and my sense of fun intact. In the
mid-to-late ‘90s The Prostitutes rallied my negative punk excitement level
better than any other band of that time period. They managed to craft a handful
of classics that still scorch my soul every time I listen to them. After
breaking up in their originating city of Harrisburg, PA, Kevin Prostitute has
started up a new Prostitutes in Long Beach. This new album definitely sounds
like The Prostitutes of old. It is slightly more polished-sounding than their
older recordings but not enough to put anyone off. Kevin’s pissed-off snarl
still carries this music head and shoulders above other bands that I hear
mining this same sound and vibe. The best comparison I have for this band might
be The Pagans. I’ve listened to this album many times and I don’t hear any weak
tracks. Of course, I’m also looking for something that singes me the way that
“Teenage Girls” and “22” did eleven or twelve years ago and, right now, this
album’s “They’re All Dead” is totally doing that for me.
–chris (May Cause Dizziness, www.mcdrecords.com)
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PROTAGONIST:
Hope and Rage: CD
NOTE TO ALL WOULD-BE “HARDCORE PUNK” BANDS: If you’re writing songs that are longer than two minutes, you’re doin’ something wrong. Shitcan the set and start over. And, for the love of Pete, don’t release a disc chock full of songs that clear four-plus minutes. It’s almost as offensive as seein’ your gramma in an “Assmaster” video.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Blackout)
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PROTESTANT:
Self-Titled: 7"
Protestant play hardcore punk that frequently crosses into grind and sludge territories. The tempo changes are done really well and never feel hokey. The packaging on this 7” is really interesting. It’s silver ink screened on black construction paper, but it’s a single piece of paper 18” x 12” and is folded in a way that holds the record well and offers a quite innovative layout. If you like your punk heavy, this is a quality release that won’t leave you feeling like you just bought the same 7” you’ve bought many a times before.
–Daryl Gussin (Halo of Flies)
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PROTESTANT:
As Dead As We Look: CD
I initially thought these kids were shootin’ for inclusion in the Eyehategod wing of post-Black Flag/post-Black Sabbath sludge rock, but after the second song or so it became clearer they were more interested in being a part of the post-Slayer modern “hardcore” crowd. All told, they’re better than some, but nothing that really blows the skirt up.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Halo of Flies)
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PROTESTANT:
The Hate. The Hollow: LP
Okay, right off the bat, lemme just say that the vinyl—sorta plum colored with a neat design marbled into it—is fuckin’ gorgeous. The music is heavy, fast, and pissed-off hardcore that sounds like they have more than a passing interest in some of the more rambunctious hardcore bands coming out of Scandinavia. Nine tunes total, and totally worth your time.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Halo of Flies)
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PROTESTANT:
Antagonist: 7”
Beautiful and scorching three-song EP here. It’s got all the requisite elements: stunning chipboard/silkscreen packaging (complete with booklet), top-notch, thematic graphics, bleak as hell lyrics (but with song/band explanations that are tinged with hope) and some of the meanest, darkest epic-style hardcore since that jaw-dropping Fighting Dogs LP came out a few years ago. Think Havoc-era From Ashes Rise and you’re off to a pretty good start. When it’s done well (and Protestant most definitely do it well), this shit makes me want to punch walls with a shit-eating smile on my face. If you’re looking for dark and brooding hardcore, Antagonist is your golden ticket.
–Keith Rosson (Halo Of Flies)
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PROTESTANT:
Judgments: LP
Can’t believe I haven’t listened to this band until now. Fuggggg... Protestant reside somewhere between Artimus Pyle, His Hero Is Gone, and Kylesa. It’s heavy and crushing hardcore with some dissonant elements. The songs hit hard and leave a serious burn. The closer, “Retirement,” throws some rapid and direct punches at the beginning that will grab the listener’s attention, for sure. “Funeral” is my favorite of the nine, as it has a catchier riff and more epic structure. Lyrically, “Dustbowl” is the best, detailing the dissolution of small town, rural America due to corporations, developers, and other scum. The majority of the songs deal with the alienation of American life, the dehumanization of employment, and the feeling of losing control over one’s existence. These issues are all tied together and these guys do a good job of getting that point across. Hope I get to hear more in the future.
–Matt Average (Halo of Flies)
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PROTESTANT:
Stalemate: 10"
Great follow-up to their Judgments LP. In fact, I’m of the opinion the material on here surpasses the previous. They definitely fall into the realm of bands like Tragedy and Artimus Pyle (more towards the latter end of the spectrum with the heavy and crushing, rawer style). It’s a sound that has been done to death, but when a band is good, it doesn’t matter. They breathe much-needed life into the genre and pretty much make it their own. Not to mention it seems like they really believe in what they’re singing, instead of hiding behind opaque lyrics and playing to the masses. There are the crushers, like the opener “Nothing Left,” which stays close to form, but it’s when they start to break out and add melody and more texture is when they stand strongest, especially on the last two songs, “Regrets” and “Swindle.” Pairing the two contrasting styles—the harsh and melodic—really brings the power of the music out, highlighting the heaviness, darkness, and sheer drive of the music. The changeup in “Misplaced” is a good example. The song whips you around for the majority of the time, then they switch up into a catchier riff that gets more melodic as the seconds tick by. Then you have a song like “Corners” that has guitar work that reminds me a bit of Iron Maiden, and it’s an awesome song. This record has you stopping whatever it is your doing and makes you just listen. Fuggin’ great!
–Matt Average (Halo Of Flies, halooffliesrecords.com)
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PROTESTANT:
Reclamation: 12” EP
Protestant are pretty prolific. Seems like they have a new record out every few months. I’ve liked everything I’ve heard from them so far. On this record they have drifted just a little more in the metal direction, especially in the guitars, which have that black metal coldness and buzzing bee sound. But, at the heart, it’s still hardcore (not crust). The title track is a crusher! The delivery is fast and urgent, but what really knocks me on my ass is the piano that comes in at the end. It gives the music more emotional depth and conveys the mood much stronger. I also like how the lyrics in each of the songs create visuals and have a stronger poetic edge.
–Matt Average (Halo Of Flies, halooffliesrecords.com)
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PROTESTANT:
Reclamation: 12” EP
Thick and heavy d-beat in the melodic Swedish vein. I seem to remember this band being much less melodic, but I am digging this sound over all. There are some cool moments where the heavier side of the band takes over completely and allows for a cool change of pace, like the doomy riff that closes out the opening track “Home” that is certainly more Southern than Scandinavian, but the mix works well. It seems like this style has been done to death in the last ten years and I can’t really say that this record sticks out among the other End Of All or Wolfbrigade clones, but if the goal was “write a good d-beat record” they succeeded.
–Ian Wise (Halo Of Flies)
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PROTOCOL, THE:
Recess: CD
Please note: In your bio, you can’t just make statements like, “Jeff Reitan is recognized as one of the best guitar players around…” What? By whom? You might as well say that your band is the best band in the area. Argh, bio writers…if there’s one thing that can annoy me more than bad music it’s shitty writing. Unfortunately, in this case, the music isn’t much to write about either. I feel like I’m back in high school when I was subjected to horribly generic Christian pop rock. This includes cheesy lyrics, simplistic structures, generic vocals, and the occasionally stereotypical guitar solo. I didn’t like it then and ten years later I still don’t.
–Kurt Morris (Parlor)
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PROUDFLESH:
Self-titled: CD
I find it interesting that Sothira continues to lay the mess that is Indochina solely at the feet of the West, and says nothing about all the fun that was had there with no help from the West whatsoever. Shit, the Maoist Khmer Rouge alone had a ball in them killing fields in his native Cambodia. How many bodies lie under Choeung Ek and elsewhere again? Nearly two million? How many ethnic Vietnamese died by Cambodian hands during that period? How many Cambodians died by Vietnamese hands when the Vietnamese overthrew the Khmer in ‘78-79? Weren’t those governments Chinese- and Soviet-backed, respectively? I’m not getting all patriotic or anything, ‘cause I’m the last person who would do that, but it seems to me there’s enough blame to go around and that any group with a supposed anarchist background wouldn’t hesitate to point fingers in all the appropriate directions, and that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Seems a little hypocritical to be singing about My Lai and not utter a peep about Tuol Sleng, bro. Speaking of hypocrisy, how does a former anarcho-posterboy turned stockbroker justify singing antiwar tunes? That’s like a politician singing songs against his corporate overseer, ain’t it? Seeing as the market thrives on war, it would follow that anyone who works in the market profits, no matter how indirectly, from the misery and death of others, right? There’s a reason why them towers were singled out and it wasn’t just ‘cause they were tall. Singing songs decrying your chosen revenue source is kinda like biting the hand that pays for them bitchin’ motorcycles and posh living quarters. As for the music itself, imagine Crucifix reimagined as a Sunset Strip rock band, singing love songs to “My Lai My Love.” While I imagine their reliance on their old band’s name (and frankly, the Jimmy Crucifix lineup was easily the worst) will no doubt bring in the dough from non-discerning punter/punkers with Hot Topic-bought “Dehumanization” t-shirts, I think it’s safe to say that some musicians and their contributions are best left behind in the mists of the past.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Wired Gnome)
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PROUDFLESH:
Self-Titled: CD
I find it interesting that Sothira continues to lay the mess that is Indochina solely at the feet of the West, and says nothing about all the fun that was had there with no help from the West whatsoever. Shit, the Maoist Khmer Rouge alone had a ball in them killing fields in his native Cambodia. How many bodies lie under Choeung Ek and elsewhere again? Nearly two million? How many ethnic Vietnamese died by Cambodian hands during that period? How many Cambodians died by Vietnamese hands when the Vietnamese overthrew the Khmer in ‘78-79? Weren’t those governments Chinese- and Soviet-backed, respectively? I’m not getting all patriotic or anything, ‘cause I’m the last person who would do that, but it seems to me there’s enough blame to go around and that any group with a supposed anarchist background wouldn’t hesitate to point fingers in all the appropriate directions, and that doesn’t seem to be the case here. Seems a little hypocritical to be singing about My Lai and not utter a peep about Tuol Sleng, bro. Speaking of hypocrisy, how does a former anarcho-posterboy turned stockbroker justify singing antiwar tunes? That’s like a politician singing songs against his corporate overseer, ain’t it? Seeing as the market thrives on war, it would follow that anyone who works in the market profits, no matter how indirectly, from the misery and death of others, right? There’s a reason why them towers were singled out and it wasn’t just ‘cause they were tall. Singing songs decrying your chosen revenue source is kinda like biting the hand that pays for them bitchin’ motorcycles and posh living quarters. As for the music itself, imagine Crucifix reimagined as a Sunset Strip rock band, singing love songs to “My Lai My Love.” While I imagine their reliance on their old band’s name (and frankly, the Jimmy Crucifix lineup was easily the worst) will no doubt bring in the dough from non-discerning punter/punkers with Hot Topic-bought “Dehumanization” t-shirts, I think it’s safe to say that some musicians and their contributions are best left behind in the mists of the past.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Wired Gnome)
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PROVOKE:
This Is Real: CD
The best NYHC I’ve heard in
years! And these guys are from Australia! There’s no metal posturing, or pussy
emo singing breaks. Just pure, unadulterated NYHC style that hits like a
sledgehammer between your eyes! Chunky guitar sound, solid bass, thundering
drums, and a vocalist who yells from the gut. The songs move moderately quick
with breakdowns, time changes, and gang choruses. All the elements required
that makes this style exciting. Fantastic album the whole way through.
–Matt Average (Pee)
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PROVOKED:
Infant in the Womb of Warfare: CD
I believe the LP version of this was released a couple of years ago. So, I’m not sure if the tracks on the end of this CD from the Path of Destruction split are bonus tracks. But we do have the internet and I find that this CD is being released to coincide with the band’s new full-length titled Prepare for the Cold, which introduces a new singer. It’s angry-as-fuck, spitting-vinegar female vocals over crusty d-beat that pummels along at a raging pace. At breaks in some of the songs, the vocals are sung with a sort of sorrow that changes things up. But the vocal attack is pure mean. The band, on top of playing fast, does go into metal territory at moments but it doesn’t overwhelm the songs. They focus on compassionate lyrics on topics that are not light or fun: commentary of things that they question. Now I have to put the new one on the shopping list. So many releases, so little money.
–Donofthedead (Profane Existence)
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PROVOKED:
Prepare for the Cold: CD
The best thing Provoked have going for them is that their vocalist is an absolute dead ringer for Blaine from the Accused, which can never be a bad thing in my book. Bummer is that he shares the mike with a backing vocalist that sounds like the sasquatch from Harry and the Hendersons, which kind of tempers the power of the band a bit. Profane Existence certainly didn’t skimp on the packaging with this one. It’s got a twelve-panel booklet, every song gets its own page with lyrics and illustrations, and the cover itself is quite a picker-upper, featuring a bald, naked woman clutching her own face as a baby, still attached to her via the umbilical cord, freezing to death in the snow at her feet. Oh, and she’s next to a graveyard and there’s a stealth bomber dropping explosives right next to them. So, picture that in your mind and you’ve got a pretty good idea of what Provoked probably sounds like. They’ve got some good moments on here, but if they just had Harry cool it a bit and kicked the tempo up a notch, then they’d go from decent to memorable. As it stands, I’m not convinced: if I want distilled rage and intelligent political diatribes, I’ll go listen to Warsawpack or Rambo, neither of whom, to my knowledge, have a hairless vagina or dead babies on their record covers.
–Keith Rosson (Profane Existence)
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PROWLER:
Chaos in the City: CDEP
Skinhead music for those who want their skinhead music to be familiar. At least they aren't racist.
–Donofthedead (Mad Butcher)
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PROWLER:
On the Prowl: 7”
I know that what I am going to say is probably going to offend everyone involved with this record, but know that I say it as a compliment and mean it. The song A-side of this sounds like how I would imagine Lou Barlow doing Sebadoh as an oi band and I love it! It’s not sad, lo-fi indie pop at all, just a stripped-down but hard-driving song that is really well written. The songs on the other side are good too, but don’t grab me as much as the first one. It’s rare to hear something fresh and different in this genre. I think Prowler is on to something.
–Ty Stranglehold (Longshot, longshotmusic.com)
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PROWLERS, THE:
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: CD
I picked this up 'cause I liked the title. They sound like the Oppressed, which is always a plus, but the lyrics are more of the same boneheaded, hackneyed shit that so many other bald boy bands have driven into the ground. What a waste.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Mad Butcher, Bergfeldstr.3, 34289 Zierenberg, Germany)
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PROWLERS, THE:
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: CD
I picked this up 'cause I liked the title. They sound like the Oppressed, which is always a plus, but the lyrics are more of the same boneheaded, hackneyed shit that so many other bald boy bands have driven into the ground. What a waste.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Mad Butcher)
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PROZACS:
Thanks for Nothing: CD
Super-poppy punk, complete with handclaps and whoa-oh-oh-ohs. Decent for that kind of stuff, just not my style. I bet they'd claim Queers, Screeching Weasel, and Ramones as strong influences. Give me a few drinks, throw me in front of a stage they were on, and I bet I'd have a good time. This CD just doesn't do it for me though.
–Megan Pants (Irresponsible)
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PROZACS:
Thanks for Nothing: CD
Super-poppy punk, complete with handclaps and whoa-oh-oh-ohs. Decent for that kind of stuff, just not my style. I bet they’d claim Queers, Screeching Weasel, and Ramones as strong influences. Give me a few drinks, throw me in front of a stage they were on, and I bet I’d have a good time. This CD just doesn’t do it for me though.
–Megan Pants (Irresponsible)
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PROZACS, THE:
Live at CBGB: CD
Like the title suggests, it is a live recording of The Prozacs from Massachusetts at CBGB’s. The first song, “Penguin Rock,” sounds like a carbon copy of Blink 182 and a tinge of annoying Avril Lavigne. They cover Screeching Weasel songs and they have songs about high school escapades such as prom, cleverly titled “Prom Night.” (Quick comment: from the CD photos they look a little too old to STILL be singing about prom and high school. Just a thought.) The Prozacs would fit nicely on the tiny side stage at Warped Tour or next to a suburban kid’s Blink 182 collection, because they sound exactly the same. Too bad. I liked their band name. I’ll just give the CD to my younger cousin who is still in that phase.
–Jenny Moncayo (Cheapskate)
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PROZACS, THE:
Live at CBGB: CD
Like the title suggests, it is a live recording of The Prozacs from Massachusetts at CBGB’s. The first song, “Penguin Rock,” sounds like a carbon copy of Blink 182 and a tinge of annoying Avril Lavigne. They cover Screeching Weasel songs and they have songs about high school escapades such as prom, cleverly titled “Prom Night.” (Quick comment: from the CD photos they look a little too old to STILL be singing about prom and high school. Just a thought.) The Prozacs would fit nicely on the tiny side stage at Warped Tour or next to a suburban kid’s Blink 182 collection, because they sound exactly the same. Too bad. I liked their band name. I’ll just give the CD to my younger cousin who is still in that phase.
–Jenny Moncayo (Cheapskate)
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PROZACS, THE:
Questions, Answers, and Things Never Found: CD
Super duper polished pop punk by a band that came out of the ashes of The Grandprixx. Not bad, but nothing too exciting either. The only two highlights for me, personally, were the fantastic Queers-esque love song “Never Knew,” and the title to the emo-bashing song: “Those Pants Would Look Better on Your Sister.” Personally, I liked the Grandprixx better. But that’s just me.
–Mr. Z (Cheapskate)
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 | 0-9| A| B| C| D| E| F| G| H| I| J| K| L| M | | N| O| P| Q| R| S| T| U| V| W| X| Y| Z| < Prev Section | Next Section > | |
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