Three hardcore punk bands have come together to release a three-way split ep with five new songs from each band. Yes, that is 15 songs of blazing fast and furious punk rock on an ep with a 16 minute run time, just like you used to expect. In the truest of traditions, the proceeds will be donated, this time to Amnesty International.
Thumper Punk and ZAP Records have brought together an international contingent of bands for this split, with The Hoax from California in the US, Praiser from Hamburg Germany, and The Old-Timers from South Africa (and the UK, California). In true Thumper Punk fashion, Sef Idle at Simpul Studios handled the mastering, adding yet another unrelated location.
Those familiar with the bands here will know what to expect for the most part. I say that as what I remember of the Hoax is not at all what I was greeted with in their collection of songs. From their previous releases, I recall a bit more of the melodic punk rock leaning toward the edgy and chaotic, but their songs here are full on energy and fury, reminding me quite a bit of old SSD (SS Decontrol), right down to the old school slower and building intro to “Calloused”.
Praiser continues the raging speed and fury in their first track “Dystopian Reality” but then the song settles into a bit of a melodic groove or at least melodic in a relative sense. Praiser switches things up a bit in “Your Ego” bringing in some shout along parts and goes for the fast, melodic punk in “The Devil Can’t Play Rock N’ Roll” with the first appearance of vocals that have a bit of hint of Jello Biafra tone to them and that feeling continues to grow through “It’s Not about Fear”.
The Old-Timers kick off their section with shockingly long track “Apocalypse Now” that clocks in at 1:42 (second longest on the ep) and in true OT fashion, manages to cram in at least 3 minutes worth of music in that time frame as the song gallops along at a quick rate. As heard on their previous releases, Don and Matt provide a very tight and fast rhythm section for Dave to shout over the top of. Fittingly, the last song on the ep is “Sing What You See”, which has some lines that pretty much sum what these bands are about,
“So Sing, Sing what you see, Yell and Scream and Shout, Let your praises out, Sing, sing what you see, Yell and sing and scream, Worship to the King”
So, at this point, in true punk rock manner, it’s taken much longer to write this review than listen to the ep, it goes by that fast. Three Way Tie for Last presents some fast, rough, gritty, in-your-face punk rock, the likes of which are pretty rare these days. There is nothing cute here so if you’re looking for something a bit poppy, move right along, but if you’re looking to hear several different bands performing hardcore punk driven by emotion and lyrics that make you think and provide hope, this is for you.
Rating: 8/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist
01. The Hoax – Grimage
02. The Hoax – Let Down
03. The Hoax – Satisfied
04. The Hoax – Calloused
05. The Hoax – Love
06. Praiser – Dystopian Reality
07. Praiser – Your Ego
08. Praiser – The Devil Can’t Play Rock ‘N’ Roll 01:19
09. Praiser – Progress (Is Killing Us)
10. Praiser – It’s Not About Fear
11. The Old-timers – Apocalypse Now
12. The Old-timers – Walking Stick
13. The Old-timers – Punk Rock Theology
14. The Old-timers – ‘Til Death
15. The Old-timers – Sing What You See
Band Members:
The Hoax:
Tyler D – Vocals
Johnny Hoax – Guitar, vocals
David R – Bass
Danimal – Drums
Praiser:
Andre – Drums, vocals
Robin – Bass
Marcus – Guitars, vocals
The Old Timers:
Dave – Vocals
Don – Guitars, Bass
Matt – Drums
Record Label: Thumper Punk Records and ZAP Records, 2016
Weblinks:
US Bandcamp: https://thumperpunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/three-way-tie-for-last
UK Bandcamp: https://zaprecords84.bandcamp.com/album/three-way-tie-for-last
The Old-Timers Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theoldtimers
The Hoax Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehoaxpunx
Praiser Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PryrHardcore/