Strike Anywhere - Change Is a Sound (11 tracks) +Album Reviews

Incredible Melodic Hardcore

Timmy P | Mississauga, ON, Canada | 12/15/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"okay, so i'm sitting here listening to strike anywhere's "change is a sound" and i can't get enough of this record. its soo catchy, yet its soo...angry and hard and fast and..AMAZING. strike anywhere has a rather unigue sound, while not really doing anything new. i guess they just do it about 100 times better than most bands in the gere. the lyrics are basically all politically-influenced but are soo personal and sincere that you know the singer is pissed off and wants to really try and change things. i dunno, all i can say is if you're into fast, catchy, politically-influenced hardcore punk, then if you havn't heard this...do so now. Fav. Songs:
"You're Fired"
"Sunset on 32nd Street"
"Refusal"
"Riot of Words"
...but they're all REALLY good, so check out the album"

Pure RVA punk!

K | Richmond, VA | 01/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Not only are these guys sounding great on their albums, they put on an awesome show. The diversity of their audience shows how the band has reached out to all walks of life and has sought to unite them together. SA hasn't forgotten where they've come from either...when not on tour, I've seen the group at the James sitting out on a rock together in the middle of the river. I think it really shows how down to earth they are despite their growing "fame".Oh yeah, the shows are friendly as Thomas reminds everyone to watch out for each other--so as a girl, I'm not intimidated to go into the pit for Sunset."

So much energy.................and heart

east coast kid | eastcoast | 11/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this band about a month ago never heard of there music before then. I was going to see the bouncing souls and didnt know of any openers and strike anywhere came out and played a great show with so much energy....I bought 'exit english' and 'change is a sound' i suggest if you like fast hardcore punk with meaning check out this group."

A superb emotional hardcore album with real conviction

Enigmatic | UK | 01/15/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you like bands which scream their political beliefs from the rooftops then you're almost guaranteed to love Strike Anywhere.
Others may be put off by the confrontational stance, and lyrics like "American Justice / American Lies / a racist prison anaesthetized" hardly suggest a band with something especially original or insightful to say. The redeeming features are the overwhelmingly positive tone and the sincerity. For once a band sound like they actually sing what they mean. If the rhetoric doesn't appeal then the manner in which it is delivered certainly does.The sense of conviction is reinforced by the passion in Thomas Barnett's voice, well supported by the backing vocals. The high-octane vocals on this record are simply superb; on the borderline between singing and screaming, angry and yet melodic. Why can't all hardcore vocalists sound like this?The music also manages to be heavy and angry sounding while never straying from the melody. Admittedly, there is a certain similarity between the songs, which makes it hard to pick out favourites (My Design and Sunset on 32nd would be my pick) This is due largely to the sustained passion and tempo, and it is still possible to tell where one song begins and another ends. Strike Anywhere don't just pump out the same three chords for two minutes; there's variety within individual songs too. But better production could have enhanced the record by adding some dynamics without taking away the raw edge.Be warned that while I describe it as melodic, it's melody in the form of a brutal assault on the eardrums - quite a bit heavier than comparable bands like Good Riddance. But if it's too loud for you or you can't stomach their political views, you're missing out on a very fine hardcore album."

THIS IS THE FUTURE OF PUNK ROCK

Peter Davis | new york | 10/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm sorry, but Strike Anywhere is a truly amazing band. They are political, but in a way that is not pushy. They truly believe in good things to come and you can hear that in their music. This album is a departure from what has been coming out recently. It seems like hardcore is all about muscle and testosterone. And if you think I'm refering to bands like Slipknot and System of a Down, then you have no business buying this cd. Strike Anywhere follows the path of the earliest Richmond,VA. bands,and that is true working class punk with heart and determination. "Change" sounds a lot like AFI's "Black Sails.." album, but much more politically charged and a little faster. now dont be fearful of a band that is politically charged. Thomas's lyrics do have a lot of big words that are hard to understand, but hey, kids, go and look them up in a dictionary. You will understand what he means, and you will be much better off for it. This album is trully amazing. You can listen to it over and over and it will continue to get better. The only albums that could meet this would be HWM's "Forever and Counting" and anything by Inquistion (Thomas's first band). Go buy this album now. Its music like this that will save us from a TRL culture. Long live music that matters."

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