September 2007 Reviews

Move to Press 7" (Charged Records)

by The Wednesday Night Heroes

Reviewed by: Chemosabe
Straight out of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada comes some of the best athemic punk on the scene today. The Wednesday Night Heroes, with their frenetic live shows and seemingly endless energy, are one of those bands that are just on the cusp of breaking into the upper levels of punk popularity. Enter exhibit A, the WNH’s 7”, “Move to Press,” a three song assault of raw punk that you’ll want to have at full blast through all eight amazing minutes. The title track blends a fist-pumping chorus with a young, pointed, political energy…no NOFX ham-handed political ramblings here. “Pushed Too Far” continues the momentum and does a great job of recreating the crazed excitement of their live show. Finally, if you’re still not convinced to drop a few bucks on this gem, the third track is worth the cost alone: a simply amazing cover of “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg.” Granted, a punk band covering the Ramones is nothing new, but the choice of song, one of the more underappreciated Ramones songs is suberb, and the execution is flawless. The WNHs infuse their tribute with the political drive of the first two tracks yet keep all the great elements of the original, giving the song a distinct WNH flavor while still serving as a great tribute. You need to check the Wednesday Night Heroes out now. If you can’t catch one of their live shows, “Move to Press” serves as a great introduction to this band you’re sure to hear more about in the very near future.

Stand Alone (SOS)

by The Ghouls

Reviewed by: Jick
Fast, furious, and angry as hell Philadelphia’s The Ghouls are making big waves in the punk scene with their first full-length “Stand Alone” on S.O.S. Records. The CD itself is pretty standard fast paced, pissed off street punk- full to the brim with sing-along chants and power chords. Normally I’m all about that, but something about The Ghouls seems a bit forced, almost formulaic. So what makes The Ghouls different from every other giant-haired punk band of this era? Their attempt at individuality can be found in their horror-influenced lyrics, a concept that’s becoming very overplayed lately. Even bigger an issue than the unoriginality of what is supposed to make this band stand out is the way it is executed. Songs like “Carnival of Souls” are not so much bad as they are completely and utterly retarded. Carnival of Souls? Seriously? Obviously they’re aiming for the Misfits/Casualties crowd, but they’ve hit somewhere in the I.C.P. range instead. Not to say there aren’t some pretty decent tracks on this one, namely “Armageddon” and to a lesser extent “No Fear” but tracks like “Kill Doll” leave a lot to be made up for. Seriously:

Born of a wolf and a mortal bitch in heat
I’m not a man but I’m more than you can be
I hunt at night and humans are my prey
You silly humans, my little kill dolls.

That’s the fucking stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Lyrics like this belong in Korn songs, not street punk. Even the songs I would call good are only just passable. On another CD most of those could be considered more of filler tracks than anything else. I would only suggest picking this one up if either A.You’re fifteen and hate yourself or B. You wonder what would happen if the Virus and Slipknot formed a supergroup. The Ghouls “Stand Alone” is a decent attempt at trying something new, but if I were them, I would try again.