STOP SCREAMING AT ME! You’re making my head hurt! This album sounds sort of like a revival of old school punk, which is refreshing in a world of watered down, radio-friendly, boy-bandish pop-punk. Let’s be serious here, most of these mainstream pop-punk bands are just boy bands of a different nature, and that’s deeply disturbing. There’s something genuine about Bars, they seem to really have a good grasp on what they’re doing and what they want to do. The only thing I wish they’d do is STOP SCREAMING AT ME! There’s only so much of this in-your-face screaming vocal stuff that a person can take before you find yourself screaming back at your CD player looking to start a fight. At that point, you really need to evaluate yourself.
One thing I definitely need to give them credit for is the guitar work. There aren’t any real solos on here, but there are some very cool licks, riffs and…gasp…guitar hooks! That’s right! A punk band that actually learned how to use HOOKS! IMAGINE THAT – people who actually know more than 3 power chords!
My first impression of this album was something along the lines of “Throw this crap out.” Luckily I was patient enough to really listen to it and get a feel for it, it’s not nearly as bad as I had first thought. I’d recommend it to any punk purist, or anyone looking for some good old aggressive music.
