Evacuate - (s/t) - TAANG! Records - 01/2009.
Ah, the dreaded "ex-Members of..." stamp. A blessing and a curse. i appreciate each group for what they are. In the wake of a new Sepultura Album just released, we are forced to examine what's in a name. So, when our beloved groups do don a new moniker, we must keep this in mind. Joe Coffee is not Sheer Terror 2. Sam Hain was not The Misfits. But, would i have even heard of Evacuate, if i was not looking for whatever Mike Virus was up to these days? Probably not so soon. So, boasting members of "The Virus, Cheap Sex, and The Lab Rats' - despite being a 'new' band, i think we can bet the deed to the house into which aural parameters this venture will squeeze.
Now, while The Virus was one my favorite punk bands (ever!), due to their 'heaviosity'. Cheap Sex carried that banner, too; but, somehow felt short of what i loved so much. I got the three Cheap Sex albums. I liked them. I loved certain standout songs.
So - here we go with Evacuate. Well, the inaguaral bass line from track 1 kicks off straight from a late '80s NYHC song. Friggin' awesome. All the spikes and leather and studs, certainly predict that this band will have a UK82 sound. Heavy. Fast. And while their roots are well versed in this genre, i hear more Warzone (DFTS), Slapshot (SDO and 16VH), The Business (Truth...) sped up, Poison Idea (FTD). Songs 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9 all pummell your ear canal and today's youths' notion of 'punk'. Fast, distorted riffs; laced with solo note excursions. There is a metal influence here, but never overpowering. Track 4, "Conveinence Killed Mankind", is the only 'slower' song - a good Motorhead type opening. It is still punk as fuck, but a touch catchier - with a 'sung' chorus. It stands as one of my favorites. Tracks 5, 10, 11 are all on the punkier, pogo paced side and would still get you going in the pit.
LYRICS and CONTENT - i loved Mike Virus 2 previous bands so much because of there brash political lyrics. Evacuates layout of the album have newspaper clippings re: war and famine and social ills. But when going through the songs, there is no starkly overt political (like, Cheap Sex's "Dick Cheney") - these tunes are more social, than political. But the all are awesome and definitely address many problems that plague this world, and more so, this country. They address the mechination and digitization of this country. The difference between our ideals and the tangible world we are forced into, and how that differential silences our soul. But, as i claim the movement of this album closer to 'hardcore' than 'punk', there are songs that leave the political and have the standard themes; "One Sided Friend", "What Happened to Hardcore", "This is Our Night".
One specific song i would like to isolate, that approaches a specific issue is, "Bulemic Girl". It is unusual to hear a song address this. I would guess because we in the punk world would like to think that none of our ilk would have this issue; as they should not be guided by image and others' opinion. Also, punk and HC is extremely male-centric. So, this would not be something frequently thought of. It is definitely an issue - a disgusting reaction to a sad root problem; a physically destructive course of action stemming from a nadir of self-image. Something we in the punk community should care about and address. Big ups, guys.
Anyway - looking back at my review, it is all splitting hairs. This is a hardcore punk album. An incredible, fast, blistering riot that i have been enjoying since i bought it on its release date. Mike Virus' standard snar will always rile me up to fight against this sickening world that mainlines greed and impulse instead of attending to the needs of its main inhabitants. The music created here matches the idignant lyrics with aggression and ferocity. Buy it Blare it.
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