Label: Epitaph

Once the eternal bastion of all things punk, Epitaph Records has for the past decade had a fairly sorry excuse for a roster of artists.  In fact, Pennywise and Bad Religion are the only things that can actually classify as punk that the label has put out in some time.  Maybe participating in a band again has snapped label owner Brett Gurewitz out of his poor taste coma, or maybe he simply sniffs a coming change in fashion that will make punk profitable once more; whatever his reasoning, the recent signing of Minneapolis band Off With Their Heads is definitely a move back in the right direction.  Their latest album In Desolation might not be a Smash, Punk In Drublic or even an About Time, but it is still pretty damn good and perhaps may even be signalling a return to form for Epitaph.

Blending Dillinger Four with early Face To Face, Off With Their Heads rely equally upon their straight forward mid-paced punk rock sound as they do upon their heartfelt lyrics and gruff vocals.  The slightly rough-around-the edges production works perfectly as well, making sure that the dirtiness of their sound doesn’t get lost under layers of studio sheen.  However, the most noticeable problem with In Desolation is the same thing which hindered Face To Face’s debut Don’t Turn Away; the songs all utilise the same moderately fast tempo, resulting in many of them becoming indistinguishable from one another.  A sole ballad towards the end of the set in the shape of “My Episodes” is the only deviation from the formula, giving the listener a brief contemplative rest before the tempo picks up once again for closer “Clear The Air”.

Whilst picking out favourite tracks from In Desolation is a difficult task, “ZZYZX” and lead single “Drive” stand out from the pack.  The former features possibly the most impassioned vocal performance of the album with lead singer Ryan Young almost bellowing the lyrics, while on the other hand the later drags the listener in with its catchy chorus and snakelike bass line.  Other highlights to look out for include the very Rancid-ish guitar solo of “Their Own Medicine”, and the brisk yet enjoyable power chord riff which drives “All I Can Do”. 

The slow descent into mall-core that characterised the Epitaph records business plan during the 2000’s was a disturbing sight to behold for many punk fans; after all, this is the same label that put out classics like ...And Out The Come The Wolves and Suffer, so many were left questioning why they had begun to promote bands like The Locust and Atmosphere.  Hopefully though with the release of In Desolation we might be beginning to see this once sacred institution refocus upon the style which made it famous; good old punk rock.  With this album, Off With Their Heads have managed to put together an enjoyable (if somewhat repetitive) collection of songs that will surely receive a positive response from both fans of the group and melodic punk rock in general.

By Matthew Woodward