ROCKZONE.COM: CD Reviews: The Casualties

The Casualties
Die Hards
by Samuel Barker
October 18, 2001

File Under: Punk

rating: C-

tracks


1. Nightmare

2. City Council 

3. Ruining It All

4. Get Off My Back

5. Victims

6. This Is Your Life

7. Die Hards

8. No Turning Back

9. Can't Stop Us

10. Mierda Mundial

11. Punk Rock

12. Divide And Conquer

13. Made In NYC

related links

Sideonedummy Records

As soon as I saw the cover of this record I instantly felt disappointment, 4 fashion punks striking a pose on a graffiti laden wall in NYC. I knew what to expect, thirteen one minutes songs about the government and ode to how punk the band is. Well, that's all there, but somewhere in between are some good views, some idealistic thought, and some much needed criticism of the punk scene.

The songs are straight ahead, no bullshit, no solos, no cutesy breakdowns, it's straight up vintage hard punk. The lead singer sounds like he just chugged a jar of kerosene and the rest of the band lays down some of the simplist riffs known to man. Nothing to challenge you here, but in the end, it's what the punk scene needs, a no frills kick in the ass.

Punk Rock, besides being the least creative title for a song, comes across with a view of the punk scene people need to hear. It's really not about beating people up for what they wear, it's about being a community and creating a lifestyle that's beyond discrimination. A lot of the point gets lost in Jorge's vocals which are just about intelligible gibberish. With this in mind, it's best to read the lyric sheets.

I'm not promising you a great album here, it definitely lacks a great deal of creativity and originality, but in the end, it's a look at where punk started from, which really wasn't all that great of a beginning. At times the songs almost reach a metal feel, but in the end, it's plain old punk rock with rough vocals. You decide....

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

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