Love Equals Death - Nightmerica

by Andy Vincent

published: 15 / 4 / 2006

Label: Select Label
Format: CD

intro

Impressively trashy punk rock which recollects both Billy Idol and Anti Flag from recent Fat Wreck signings Love Equals Death

Love Equals Death are the newest signing to NOFX bassist/vocalist Fat Mike's Fat Wreck label, and from that alone you can pretty much make conclusions about how the band will sound. In no way will I beat around the bush. I absolutely love this record. Comparisons to other punk bands come out from all angles from the moment 'Nightmerica' goes into the CD player, but at the same time there's a strong 80's vibe to it, The press release explains the fact that Fat Wreck think it sounds like "Billy Idol and Anti Flag" and I couldn't agree more. That's especially true in the former case in Chon Travis' vocals, one of the strongest points of this a great record. Opener 'Bombs over Brooklyn' trashily stomps through its three and a half minutes. It reminds me of the great 80's horror punk of the Damned mixed with the greater parts of Fat Wreck bands like Strung Out (although lacking their technicality) and, with shout/sing vocals in the chorus, it's catchy as hell and, like the whole album, doesn't let up for a minute. The album's press release also states that "Bred in the land of Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds' Love Equals Death put a darker spin on punk rock." From the artwork of the record you can see why, and the subtle undertones in much the music lead you into thinking this is true. With tracks like 'Black Rain' and 'Numb' the album shows it's not just "another punk album", but can hold it's own well within the genre and whether a fan of new or old punk, or as acoustic album closer 'Truth Has Failed' also shows, this record should be enjoyed by all to the same degree. A great record and well worth a listen.

Track Listing:-

1 Bombs over Brooklyn
2 When We Fall
3 Lottery
4 Sonora
5 Black Rain
6 V.O.C. (Voice of Change)
7 The Broadcast
8 Numb
9 Pray for Me
10 Caught in a Trap
11 Truth Has Failed