This band features ex-members of Tear it Up and the Survivors and plays generally straight up hardcore/punk in an early- to mid-80's vein with a few more rocked out influences seeping in now and then. It's nothing particularly new or exciting to me, but there are some memorable songs and in some minor ways there are little bits and pieces of this that come off as different from the pack. They're not trying to be the fastest or most aggressive band by any means, nor are they trying to throw in a bunch of melody or anything to rewrite the book on how this style is done. It's basically all power chords with a few bass breaks and lightly noisy lead playing on occasion, moderate tempo changes but never any major shifts, etc. "Messiah Complex" keeps an energetic level of speed throughout its duration and stands out, "Caution Tape" is a mere 20-seconds of fury, "A Needle in a Haystack" is among the more memorable of the tracks that lets a little more rock 'n' roll and sort of a west coast sound infiltrate its ranks, "Gone... For Now" is another of the more pissed off cuts, "The Wedding" is by far the catchiest tune with some really awesome vocals during the chorus that are like shouted singing, etc. There are definitely a few lulls that start to drag, but at only 23 minutes the record keeps things respectable time-wise. The production's pretty good. I think everything sounds fine, but I wish the guitars had a little something more. Clearly they shouldn't be too heavy, and I like the open clarity they've got, but they still feel a little lightweight compared to everything else, and I think that leaves something to be desired. The bass could stand to be a little more prominent as well, as it sounds great and would provide more low-end balance behind the yelling vocals. The layout looks pretty cool, with a full color cover and tons of black and white photos inside, not to mention slick looking text arrangements. And I am into the blunt lyrics, which put it all on the table: "I'm sure you've written 10 songs about me. Well it only takes one for me to say fuck you. I can't stand how you act and I don't care how you feel. Now I see your true colors have finally bled through..." I imagine fans of these guys' former bands would be into this, as would other diehard hardcore listeners. It would need a little something more to really catch my attention, but I honestly never understood what the big deal was about Tear it Up, so I kind of like this a bit more than most of Tear it Up's stuff.
[Perfect Victim]
Running time - 23:04, Tracks: 14
[Notable tracks: Messiah Complex, A Needle in a Haystack, Gone... For Now, The Wedding]
Perfect Victim Records - http://www.perfectvictim.com
