ROCKZONE.COM: CD Reviews: Avail

Avail
100 Times
by Samuel Barker
March 30, 2000

File Under: Hardcore, Punk, Rock

rating: B+

tracks

1. Order
2. Union
3. Song
4. March
5. Pinned Up
6. Connection

related links

Avail

100 Times, the newest release from Richmond, VA band Avail is one of the best albums I've heard in a while. This album was produced in a small run by Fat Wreck Chords to support Avail's European tour. Luckily, some of them were left over, and Fat Wreck has decided to release them to the public. 6 songs in 15 minutes that will rock you harder than most anything you can get your hands on. A good blend of intellegent lyrics, and rocking music, Avail is on of the most exciting bands the punk world has to offer.

The album beings with "Order". This is a great song. It starts off with a painfully distorted minor chord, and then proceeds to grab you, and make you sing "What has become of us!" at the top of your lungs along with Tim Barry. The next song "Union" is just as strong. It opens with a sweet little bass run, and then hits full blast, and has a few melodic moments as the back up vocals come in. "Song" is fast and furious, and gets your blood flowing even faster than the previous tracks. It grabs you and makes you want to rock as hard as you possibly can. "March" is the most melodic song on the album with a great deal of back up vocals. This band is great at making the combination of hard rock and melodic punk come together on selected tracks. "Pinned Up" is one of the longer songs on the album. It's one of the less dazzling tracks on the album, but is still rocking. "Connection" is the last track on the album. It's a sweet song. The bass work, courtesy of Gwomper, is very strong on this track. It's has a very nice musical track combined with some brilliant lyrics. It's a nice closing to an awesome musical display.

After hearing this album, I was forced to push play again. I listened to it 3 times before I even got my notebook out to start making notes on the tracks for the review. It's a very strong effort by Avail and made me even more stoked for the first full-length album Avail is recording on Fat Wreck Chords. The album is in the act of being mixed and mastered right now, so hopefully it won't be too long before the album is out on the market! For $6 PPD, this CD was well worth it. Good hard melodic punk rock with intelligent lyrics is something to treasure. And this album is a treasure.

Samuel Barker is Senior Editor. Contact him at suma@rockzone.com.

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