Thursday March 28th 2024

Sick Joke – “Dead Air Sessions”

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Sick Joke – “Dead Air Sessions”

 

Sick Joke is the name of this band.

That’s right- it’s not what I am. No, it’s not my life. (Though, sometimes, all of life seems to be).

It’s a great name for a band and this band’s great, or “sick” if you prefer.

Sick, stupid, it’s what we used to call “the cat’s pajamas” back in my High School days.

And how could they not be, being comprised of three-fifths of The Enemy Within? One of the best Boston based heavy New York hardcore influenced bands of the last few years, according to Bang and I (reggae band).

The guitarists, Bill and Jeremiah, are still here, as well as the drummer, “Metal” Mike Mahoney, one of Boston’s best drummers, according to Bang and I (reggae band), whose long resume goes back to Blood For Blood (not a reggae band).

The bassist, Tommy, is new and does great but the new secret weapon is former American Idol singer Aaron. (That’s a joke, folks- not sick and definitely, not funny).

But Aaron truly is a psychopathic, adrenalin fueled, maniac who spews out funny, insightful words in a machine gun like fashion obliterating life and it’s pretensions with many deft blows. He also puts a bit of snarl and sneer in his vocal style, recalling early punk that is a welcome surprise in a genre that usually relies upon low, gruff, death vocals and politically conscious lyrics with no humor to them.

Not so in the case here.

But instead of me pontificating more, let’s do something more stimulating. Put the needle on the record and let it spin!

“Scraping By” starts off with some distorted guitar chords busting out by its lonesome. Soon the drums kick it in along with the guitars and vocals and a tirade against Sarah Palin. “I can’t believe that Sarah Palin would talk some shit about some folks working at McDonalds… Then to just have some dumb cunt to talk shit from Alaska, just because they asked for a raise in their pay.” Though I do find it cruel that they seek to admonish, Ms. Palin, one of the finest, female comics of our time; this is some grade-A prime cut hardcore. This has an energy driven verse that leads into a stuttering guitar chorus, eventually leading to a coda with a straight rock beat and a psychedelic guitar lead. “We’ll survive on music and singing and dancing and reading and writing and learning and burning and thinking and fighting and riding and fucking and all the things that make you feel alive.” This song is a wonderful place to live.

“The Spins” is a hilarious song about too much love for alcohol that has great chord changes and an adrenalin spiking hardcore beat. “Why do I always say, every fuckin’ time, just have a couple? Why don’t I ever learn, every fuckin’ time, just two today?” It goes on with the singer having “the spins and losing his balance” and ending up in an alley. “Oh, yeah, sure, I’ll take a swig off your bottle. I don’t know if you have mouth herpes or fuckin’ hepatitis or God knows what.” It’s good to know when you’ve had enough but I can’t get my fill of this great tune.

“Greek Salad Days” starts with guitar feedback and a drum beat that comes in like an animal running for its life. Then a low rumbling bass leads to some demolishing guitar chords and then the vocal enter to banish the feedback away. “This is the meaning of life as we know it…Lying to keep up the cycle passed down to us.” Towards the end the beat changes to a solid rock beat with a descending guitar line that is harmonized by another guitar. A short, but effective song.

After a couple of accents we’re into “Total Confusion” that is another excitement driven hardcore diatribe against society’s follies. The guitars grind and sustain bitter chords while the rhythm section pushes like someone frantically trying to find an exit in a fire. The vocals melodically and emotionally charge in, going for the throat. “You’re not gonna like what you see…You’re not gonna like what you find.” After a few verses the beat slows down with the guitars chugging that turns into an intense, rockin’ beat. Then the music explodes returning to the beginning with a melodic guitar line running underneath the vitriolic vocals. Some slowed rhythms, some guitar sequels, more venomous vocals and another great song meets its end.

I was definitely sad to here that The Enemy Within had called it quits awhile back. Along with Opposition Rising we thought they were the best Boston bands in the New York heavy hardcore style. Just as we think of Reason To Fight being the best in Providence, M-13 the best from Connecticut and in New York…too many bands like that- I’m not gonna go there!

And the two guys that left did a great job (Joe, the former lead singer, still plays bass for the great local hardcore band Disaster Strikes) but I feel excited by the new twist, a little more traditional punk in the mix that Aaron throws in. And though this album is solid ( I had a hard time excluding “Start From The Ashes”) I feel this is just a sample of what’s to come. And what’s to come will be greater.

I mean, it’ll be sick…

And that’s ain’t no joke

(Catch them this Friday the 10th at O’Briens with Honest John and others)

(Slimedog)

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