Caustic Christ - Can't Relate (2003)

Swampchode got me on a Pallbearer's kick and somehow it made me run across this band again which I haven't heard in years. Crazy, crusty punk recommended to anybody that's looking to catch a case of whiplash...


"You should know the drill by now, expect lots of fast hardcore/punk (but not too fast) with shouted vocals and fucking slick bass runs that fly all over the place rather than copying the guitars. Most of the songs hover right around a minute each and they just shred straight through without fucking around. These cats were never particularly sloppy, but I must say that the new tracks are tighter than ever, so the performances are really fucking dead on. There's definitely more of an emphasis on the punk influences this time out, it's still thick, but it's not what I would classify as necessarily heavy, and the slightly chaotic aspects have become more controlled and refined, which really fits the delivery a lot better. "Frat Boy", for example, has a slightly "catchier" structure with some gang backup vocals and such, but there are still a few tracks with that driving sort of heavier crust thing happening, namely "Immaculate Deception". Then they close the LP with a great cover of Flipper's "Ha, Ha, Ha". I love the recording. It's thick and natural with a suitable mix that gives everything its own space. It's certainly not polished, but it's not overly raw or anything like that at all. It's a lot clearer and more well rounded than the EP's, that's for sure. The layout is all in black and white with a little bit of green, and the artwork is incredible. There are tons of awesome illustrations, and I love the way the booklet is set up. All of the covers from the 7" releases are included, and the lyrics are presented straight off of the EP layouts as well, which works out great. Most of the lyrics are personal and just deal with base level frustrations and stuff, but then out of nowhere there's a scathing political attack like "Satisfied Means Pacified": "The vote is nothing more than a scam, Like war, taxes, and justice and the freedom of your 'fellow man', So wave the flag and praise the lord, Demand your given voice, Pull the lever, drop the ballot, and believe that you've made a choice." Good stuff. The new songs are the band's best yet in my opinion, so definitely pick this up if you enjoyed any of the previous 7" releases. (7/10)" ~ Aversiononline.com


Caustic Christ - Can't Relate : Awright.....

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