You have to hand it to Volcom Entertainment, because not too many labels put out compilations with 46 different bands featuring 46 songs and 36 of them being unreleased, live, out-of-print, or b-sides. This is the case for The Only Constant Is Change the first compilation by the label in five years--a two disc with over two hours of music. It mainly consists of punk, hardcore, pop punk, some straight up rock and hip-hop.
Disc A is pretty much made up of punk and hardcore bands ranging from Pennywise to Intoxicated, and has twenty-four songs. It starts off strong with Rise Against "Obstructed View", Authority Zero's "Broken Dream" and Bigwig's "Six-Eight"--one of the stronger songs on this disc. Pennywise has a live version of "My Own Country" while Guttermouth gives us "New Wave Hair Cut" and this is where the album gets weak. You would think the veterans would be the stronger tracks on this comp but the opposite is true. It is actually bands like Break The Silence, Bigwig, and Bleed The Dream that carry the torch. There are also a lot of bands you have to sift through like Intoxicated, ASG, and Trophy Scars before you are able to appreciate this compilation.
Disc B has more of a variety and strays away from the punk/hardcore shtick, kicking off with "Burn Radio Airtest" by Single Frame whose new wave influence reminds me of The Faint. It continues to impress with a track from Piebald "There and Back Again" but starts to struggle with The Q's "Insecure" and also the ethereal instrumental by Auditory Aphasia "This One's For Osker" which just sounds completely out of place. Other strong tracks are the piano driven "Lamp Shade" by Arraya, the dubbed out Pepper track "The Arena" and "Part of it" by Places to Park. Unfortunately the bad outweighs the good on this disc whether it is Supermodel Suicide or the hip-hop MYG aka sinistapushaman's song "Holla at Yo Boy" it is very hard to swallow.
While it is a very noble concept to put out a compilation with so many songs, it can really bog down the listener--at least for me it did. The first disc does a great job at showcasing what many labels, from Hopeless to Epitaph, have to offer in the vein of punk and hardcore. The roster of both discs is really impressive but it's the songs they chose to release that kill what could be a really great compilation.
2.5/4
