Sick Of Society

Weekend Anarchy

Written by: PP on 11/08/2009 21:28:22

Germany's Sick of Society have been around since 1989 under the moniker Wicked Power, before changing name to Sick Of Society in 1993, releasing five albums in the process before this year's "Weekend Anarchy". The band itself likes to describe their music as "porn'n'roll", which is essentially just a made up alternative for punk rock with funny lyrics about beers and partying. Joking around is by no means a new theme in the punk circles, so how do these guys stand musically? Lets find out.

Just like Danish metal bands can't be called anything else than just metal, Sick Of Society is merely 'punk rock', nothing more, nothing less. You'd be hard pressed to call them skate punk, pop punk, melodic punk, melodic hardcore or any other terms, as they are just playing simple power chords at a high-octane pace. That doesn't prevent numerous references popping up here and there though: "War In The Name Of Freedom", for instance, starts with a pounding Ministry-styled industrial guitar before the vocal harmonies recall Bad Religion, especially during the verses. "The Missing Link" has me thinking Pennywise guitar-wise, but only slightly, as Sick Of Society are much rawer and less melodic than the California skatepunkers. And since it's a fun-driven record overall, you can't avoid sounding like NOFX in places: "Incomplete" could've been on "Punk In Drublic" thanks to the guitar/vocal dynamic, and the slow ska/reggae beat of "It's All In Vain" is like straight out of the silly song repertoire of NOFX, complete with awesome trumpet on the background.

These two styles are the ingredients of "Weekend Anarchy". Either the band plays straight forward punk rock with a few decent choruses (title track, "Alles Scheisse" for instance), where they are somewhat average, or they turn up the chill-out factor in the NOFX-styled songs, where the band is clearly at their best. Though it must be said that their best is still light years away from NOFX, but then again, that isn't such a crime considering the status of the biggest band in punk rock. Finally, I have to mention the George W. Bush speech samples about weapons of mass destruction and the Iraq war. They come across as a bit tacky and unnecessary because they are so outdated and irrelevant today (It's Obama era now, boys!). Overall, "Weekend Anarchy" isn't terrible, but it's missing enough good songs to make a difference in this scribe's mind.

5

Download: Weekend Anarchy, War In The Name Of Freedom, Incomplete
For the fans of: NOFX, Bad Religion
Listen: Myspace

Release date 01.06.2009
UNSIGNED BAND

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