Punk rock and a hard-edged opinion have always gone arm-in-arm. Whether the theme is about helping someone in need or it’s about being against something that is taking place in politics at the time, punk bands are usually the ones who will take up a position for or against something first to make their opinions known. So it comes as no surprise that Face the Crowd, the new release from Pennsylvania-based outfit Combat Crisis, spends most of its time focused on one intellectually charged topic after another.
Combat Crisis is a five-piece that makes its home in Philadelphia, PA. The band is composed of Elisha Cause on vocals, Anthony Edge on guitar, Johnny Ruin on guitar, Jonas Image on bass and Adam Bomb on drums. Together, the band creates music that is both energetic and full of emotion.
The first song on Face the Crowd, “We Represent,” takes aim at war. More importantly, the song takes aim at our involvement in conflicts that we may or may not have any stake in at the time. The view is that our soldiers are dying for nothing and we are getting nothing out of it. “D.T.T.R (Don’t Try To Resist)” is a song about being wrongfully accused and incarcerated. What happens after you’re released from prison after serving time for something you didn’t do? Unfortunately, too many people have lived through this reality. What’s your opinion on this subject? Combat Crisis lets you know what they think. While most of the songs on Face The Crowd are statements on things that are happening in the world today, the song “Fool Me Twice” is more of a personal declaration than anything else- you’ll never get the better of me twice.
For the vast majority of the release, Combat Crisis creates a punk rock sound that incorporates a break-neck tempo. That tempo becomes part of the band’s signature style for the album. However, the band seems to just throw that style out the window for the album’s title track. On “Face The Crowd,” they slightly slow their pace to help create a different feel for the album’s title track. And while the members of Combat Crisis feel like a different group for just that song, it also happens to be one of the strongest tracks on their debut album. One has to wonder, however, why anyone would bury the title track on the final quarter of the album? With the song being as strong as it is, and with it being the title track, why isn’t the song one of the first songs on the album?
Face The Crowd by Combat Crisis comes to a close with two tracks that seemed to have been paired together perfectly, “Out of Luck” and “Nothing to Lose”. The two mindsets work well together to bring Face the Crowd to a close with a lot of energy.
Face The Crowd by Combat Crisis is a great punk rock album. The lyrics make you think, the musicianship is very good, and the album as a complete package is just what fans of punk rock music are looking for. If you’ve never encountered the band Combat Crisis before, their debut album is worth checking out.
Review written by Matheson Kamin
