I never really got into the whole San Diego music scene until about a year or so ago. I would defend myself by saying it was because I am from the East Coast. There were some bands that I had been into like No Knife and Swing Kids, but other than that I am uninformed about it as a whole so I can't really talk all that much about Antioch Arrow's influence on that whole scene. But, it had to be pretty big if Three One G felt in their hearts to re-release Antioch Arrow's third and out of print record Gems of Masochism.
Gems of Masochism is a good album. I would imagine that when it came out in 1994 that it was pegged as a ground breaking album and is probably a huge influence on what has come around since but to me it is just a good album. My perspective has been altered due to the ten year gap of not hearing this album but I will give it its respect. I would probably compare it to a kid who is just getting into punk rock and they hear Road to Ruin by The Ramones. They probably wouldn't think it was amazing but they would hopefully give it the respect it deserves.
Gems of Masochism set the standards of what the San Diego scene has become and thus should be owned by all those who call themselves fans of that scene. For those who aren't fans of that scene and are like me who don't know all that much about it, think about the more experimental releases from Dischord Records and you might get the hint.
2.5/4
