Murderer's Row "Menace to Sobriety" CD
[Gangstyle]
Well, this band features Riley from Stigmata on vocals, but don't expect the vicious metallic hardcore of Stigmata by any means. This is heavy yet melodic hardcore/punk rock with an oi thing going on, and I honestly don't really like it at all. There are some catchy choruses, and I love the awesome lead playing, that shit rocks, but... overall this isn't for me. The writing's not that bad, but it's pretty bland since I'm very picky about this style, and I think the weaknesses of the recording have a detrimental effect on the record as a whole as well. It all sort of sounds the same. It's generally moderately paced/somewhat up-tempo chord progressions with gruff singing vocal and hints of melody. Nothing out of the ordinary. There are of course slower songs like "Aggravation" or "My Little Molly" (which is way rocked out and bluesy), and the latter half of the record has a lot of songs that lean way more towards all out rock 'n' roll (see "On the Road"), but nothing strikes me all that much. The production's too raw. I like the average texture of the guitars and the bass presence, but the vocals sound separated from the instruments, and the drums lack density compared to the bass and guitars. So it ends up sounding like the drums are pretty far back, the guitars and bass are dead center driving things, and the vocals are off to the side. It's a little ragged and lacks cohesion overall. I'm not into the layout or the lyrics here at all. The layout is just bland and boring. The imagery is sort of goofy and the fonts are horrible. It's clean and well printed, don't get me wrong, it could be way worse, but it's not a visually interesting presentation at all. And lyrically it's just songs about being pissed off and not giving a fuck, lots of drinking, some fighting, more drinking, etc. Not really my thing, but hey, they're an honest band. If you're into oi or street punk or what have you, you might like this. I find it to be missing something, but that's me. A cleaner or more balanced sound would help, but I'm not sure it would help enough. As a straight punk band with a rock vibe they could be really good, but some of the other aspects of the disc sort of ruin that approach and get in the way of what I feel are their strengths. (4/10)
Running time - 39:56, Tracks: 14
[Notable tracks: Watch Me Fall, We Want More Beer]
Gangstyle Records - http://www.gsrmusic.com

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