Yeah, this is old school punk - with plenty of distortion, teenage angst and energy. You hear the electric surge of the guitars being plugged in, some studio chatter, and the static of the power turning down after a song's over. The only thing that's missing is a scratch 'n' sniff card of the band's sweat.
Tunes like "Help Yourself," "Testimony" and "Separation" remind me of early Crucified ("Your Image"). They're tight, furious and show off each instrument fairly well - the throbbing bass, slamming snare drums and hollow guitars. Some of the vocals are just there, though. They're not really tough, nor are they sing-along...but more like Crashdog's first album.
Two drastic departures from the rest of the album are "Rainbow" which reminds me of Starflyer 59 meets The Violet Burning; and "The Ballad of The Blamed," a jangly acoustic number living up to its name.
Overall, though, the sound is heavy and hardcore. For an album recorded in 21 hours, it's pretty happenin'.
Other coverage for this album
Dead Zine 2003Reviewed by sesspoolHere we have it... the beginning of this long-running band. This album represents the ... uh... old new school punk side of The Blamed. There were many more members in this album... and you'll notice a lot more raw sound... as well as a lot lower quality of lyrics and music all together than most of what they've done. The album has a lot more laid back approach... and they aren't really angry…Similar sounding releases
1998MxPxLet It Happen
2000Face ValueThere's Always the Radio
1995CrashdogCashists, Fascists, and Other Fungus
2003Neutral AgreementThe Joyful Facade
2002Off the RecordMulligan
1998Johnny RespectLife Ain't What It Used to BeMore from The Blamed
2002Give Us Barabbas
2001Isolated Incident
2001At This Moment
2002The Split EP
1991Pay the Rent
1998...again
