I was just reading an article proclaiming that “Punk’s not dead” and while I do agree that it will never go away, there is a relative lack of good punk band out there. Postmodern Failurism is one of those albums/ep’s that reminds you that good punk rock is a long ways from dead. Fast guitars and drums, snotty, questioning everything attitude in the vocals, and rapid fire drumming combined with short songs that get right to the point characterize this ep and provide everything good that is expected from a punk band.
Moral Monsters hail from Houston Texas and currently are comprised of the duo of Ben Ellis and Anthony Schillaci. Trying to find anything substantial on this new band is pretty much a lost cause, especially when this is just a review of a punk rock ep that lasts around 12 minutes. That being said, they’re self-described as taking an unapologetic approach to Christian apologetics in their songwriting, which focuses on the decline of Western culture.
Moral Monsters have managed to produce an ep of punk songs that lead toward the poppy side of the genre but still have an inherent bite to them in terms of tone and lyrical content. Song are filled with fast guitars and drums and vocals that instantly bring to mind NOFX and Bad Religion depending on the song. Mixing and production for punk rock albums can be a tricky thing to pull off as they usually end up too dirty and rough or too clean and polished, but this album is close to perfect for this style. As usual, I would like to hear a little more prominent low end but this is very minor complaint and doesn’t take anything away from the ep.
Lyrically, the band challenges the postmodern view of the world as you might guess from the title, taking on topics like materialism head on, “Look at all the lonely people, sinking deep into depression, coz they’re searching for their value in material possession…” (from “Awake in a World That’s Sleeping”).
So, here we have a punk band that released an ep of short, fast guitar and drum driven songs that challenge a common worldview and are delivered with an attitude. What more could you ask for?
Rating: 9/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist:
1. Postmodern failurism
2. Blood of Martyrs
3. Now They’re Dead
4. You Don’t Believe
5. Awake in a World That’s Sleeping
6. Innocent Blood
Band Members:
Ben Ellis
Anthony Schillaci
Record Label: Veritas Vinyl, Aug. 2014
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