What punker kid didn’t get her start listening to The Casualties, Anti-Flag, and The Unseen? Weren’t we all once standing in the sweaty Converse now filled by a skinny 15-year-old with purple bangs, bobbing her head in front of the Vans stage at Warped Tour? We might try to deny our past. We have moved on to what we call real hardcore punk. But there’s something to be said for the good old stuff, the high school introduction to an aesthetic, both aural, political, and artistic, that made us devote our lives to punk rock in one way or another.
Philadelphia’s Combat Crisis embodies that aesthetic with stark, political lyrics, mohawks, nose rings, Minor Threat T-shirts, and a sound that could make the snobbiest vinyl connoisseur nostalgic for her first punk show. Musically, the band takes few risks and falls short of achieving originality in sound. Instrumentation resembles speedy oi! punk. Face the Crowd’s unrelenting reliance on power chords is punctuated by guitar solos that hint at showier genres, and the production is razor sharp, too sharp, steering this album towards the realm of metal. While these factors push the album away from original, away from punk, and towards something more mainstream and processed, such shortcomings don’t stop Face the Crowd from being fast and loud and honest. Being in the presence of music like that is exciting, no matter what nook of the punk scene you’ve grown into.
Despite a hint of staleness in riffs and chord progressions and a lack of musical exploration, many individual songs on this 2009 full-length achieve a sound distinct from one another. “We Represent” is showy, featuring extensive guitar soloing, along with classic group shouts. “Fool Me Twice” is catchy, more dynamic and interesting than many other tracks. The title track features shouted oi! call and response with a vocal chorus that resembles the Addicts, falling short of originality. “40 CCs” is fast and staccato, seasoned with interesting guitar melodies throughout. On “Misled” guitar soloing returns, and the track comes close to resembling a guitar hero favorite until an interesting, slow post-punk section comes to the rescue. “Face the Crowd” is most memorable due to the political incorporation of sampling. “Nothing to Lose” is a solid track with catchy, classic punk riffs.
Combat Crisis earns applause for the impressive chops of front woman Elisha Cause. It is to the great benefit of the scene when women break into the male-dominated world of punk rock, especially when these women, like Cause, are talented musicians. Cause’s vocals are raspy and powerful, gruff and touch like punk should be. Even better, Cause uses her vantage point as front woman to speak out against socio-political issues such as rape. Discourse surrounding these issues has been co-opted by predominantly male-fronted bands who play male-attended shows. As a result, in the majority of contemporary punk communities, males self-righteously identify as feminists and talk about women’s issues, without including women in the scene. As the front woman of Combat Crisis, Cause strikes a mighty blow against a patriarchal subculture that presumes to be egalitarian, and for this she should be exalted by both male and female fans.
So Combat Crisis aren’t musically original, but they are breaking social and political barriers. This begs the question: do the musical barriers matter? A front man of a Los Angeles hardcore punk band once said something very wise before beginning his set. Just as Combat Crisis address men and women in the punk community when they play shows or distribute their record, this front man spoke to a crowd of people who embrace counter-cultural aesthetics. He made them consider what is behind these aesthetics; what is the purpose of congregating, of making music. “This music all sounds the same. It’s the content that matters.”
This is something the Combat Crisis seems to understand very well. While Face the Crowd breaks no musical barriers, Cause is breaking social barriers, and lyrics promise the smashing of other unjust systems. While musical creativity and originality may be lacking, energy and passion are not. Here’s to hoping for even greater growth and some surprises from Combat Crisis’ next release.
Review by Kendra Atleetwork
