Search - Gob :: Muertos Vivos

GOB Gets it Right - Younger Bands Take Note

Cory T. Shaeffer | Pittsburgh | 01/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Now, THIS is how you make a mature sounding punk rock record without losing any of your edge. Green Day tried to do it, but turned out an uneven (but at times spectacular) rock-opera. Blink-182 tried it in 2003 and succeeded but has since split into separate bands, +44 and the dreadful Angels and Airwaves. Don't even get me started on Good Charlotte. Unlike all the pretenders out there, GOB manages to come up with a set of catchy hooks and big crunchy chunks of punk rock guitar. The single "Prescription" is a highlight, as are the midtempo "Banshee Song" and the guitar-studded pop-punk of "Wake Up." GOB rarely misses the mark here, and the best part about it is that the lyrics are not self-absorbed with pretention and paranoia. They don't whine about politicians or other bands on the scene, and certainly don't try to please the critics. The f*** the world approach to their earlier records has been replaced by socially conscious but equally energetic and aggressive power punk in the vein of Social Distortion and early Offspring. It is nice to hear a band like this stick to their roots as opposed to trying to channel their inner "U2" or get lost in a sea of whiny emo garbage. In the years that have passed between their last release and this album, the punk rock scene has changed for the worse and GOB has evidently become better. If you are looking for a real, no-holds barred, punk rock gem in an era of carbon copies, this original band is more than just a quick listen. They have much to say, and younger bands would be the wiser by lending their ears to GOB on this 2007 release."