Insted "Proud Youth: 1986 - 1991" CD
[Indecision]
You know, I never really got into Insted when I was a kid, and I remember so many people just tossing them off as unoriginal and generic. But listening to all of these songs in one shot I can't help but wonder why the hell I never really appreciated 'em. This is good stuff. Moderately fast, melodic old school hardcore with some light punk influences and a shitload of energy. You can tell they're a west coast band, and they have a lot of really fast, almost thrashy/crossover picking patterns happening, that to me sound pretty different compared to most bands of this nature from that period, and it's cool that they pull that off without sounding very metal. It does get a little heavy at times, and there is a definite crossover thread to tracks like "Age", but it's always a clear-cut hardcore song. I don't know, they never hit me when I was young, but I'm really into this now. This huge collection runs well over an hour and includes their "What We Believe" full-length (originally released by Epitaph Records), the "We'll Make the Difference" 7" (originally on Nemesis Records), the "Bonds of Friendship" full-length (Wishingwell Records), their 1986 demo, and five unreleased tracks. All of the unreleased tracks are fucking great, and there are plenty of noteworthy moments all the way back to the contrast of slower arpeggios and straightforward chord progressions in "Good Things". The production is pretty consistent throughout. The unreleased compilation tracks are slightly rawer, and the "Bonds of Friendship" sessions sound just a little more dated (though also slightly heavier), but it all sounds fine to me. The demo is of course the roughest spot, but it's definitely cool to have it here as a complete document of the band. Overall, I really like the prominence of the bass parts in the recordings, they weave in between the drums and guitars very well, and often get more involved and lean out pretty far in the mix. Sometimes the vocals are more out front than they need to be, especially when layered or during the backup segments, but it never really gets on my nerves. The mastering has been very well handled, too. The layout looks great, keeping a clean and consistent appearance throughout with plenty of old photos, the lyrics to pretty much every track, and some brief liner notes by Dan O' Mahoney and Ray Cappo. For a straightedge band, the lyrics don't really hit on much of that whole thing. There's "Feel Their Pain" and "Maybe Tomorrow" that take the animal rights stance, but most of the other tracks are fairly straightforward and personal, keeping the whole posi angle intact. "I'm living how I want being what I am. I'm finding for myself. I'll be satisfied in the end. Life should be fun and not a constant race. There's a lot to learn and I'll go at my own pace." I'm damn glad this got released, because I've thoroughy enjoyed it thus far, and I probably never would've bothered to look back at the band again had this not brought them back to prominence. Definitely recommended. I wish all discographies were handled this nicely. (8/10)
Running time - 75:26, Tracks: 44
[Notable tracks: One World, For the First Time, Voice Your Opinion, Age, Get the Most, We'll Make the Difference, The Challenge, Good Things, Faith, At Last]
Indecision Records - http://www.indecisionrecords.com

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