Christmas time is here again and in contrast to at least my memories of years past, there are not as many Christmas albums/ep’s this year. Among this small crowd of artists, Peter118 has released a 3-song ep of pop-punk versions of Christmas songs with proceeds benefitting the UNICEF Syria Appeal.
Peter Field, once a member of the punk band Senseless, became a Christian in 2005 and dedicated his life to sharing the gospel through punk rock, signing to Thumper Punk Records in 2012 with the band Ambassadors of Shalom and then later the solo project Peter118. All proceed from Merry Christmas to You will go toward the UNICEF Syria Appeal.
Starting off a Christmas release with an original track is a bit of risky proposition and I would imagine most artists would prefer to slip an original track in somewhere near the middle, but in the big picture, when your release is a 3-song punk rock ep, you can’t really hide anything, so Peter118 starts off with the title track “Merry Christmas to You”. A slow, rough guitar riff quickly gives way to a fast verse and then comes back for the chorus of “Merry Christmas to You” in all its poppy punk glory.
The next two songs, “Shepherds” and “Silent Night” stay more toward the traditional at least in intent and lyrically. “Shepherds” is actually “While Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night” and is a rollicking melodic punk rock interpretation of the traditional song. For that matter, so is “Silent Night”. In both cases, tempos are sped up to punk rock speeds and vocals are slightly rough but clean. I especially like the somewhat dark sounding guitar intro on “Shepherds” as it makes one think the song is headed in a different direction.
If you’re looking for something different, like slightly edgy versions of traditional Christmas songs, you should make sure to pick up “Merry Christmas to You” as you’ll find that and also get a cool original track as a bonus.
Rating: 8/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist:
1. Merry Christmas to You
2. Shepherds
3. Silent Night
Musicians:
Peter118 – all instruments, vocals
Record Label: Thumper Punk Records, Dec. 2015
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission
Video for song ‘Merry Christmas To You’