Pennywise
All Or Nothing

When you hear around that Polar Bear Club plays hardcore punk, it means something is really wrong. I need certainties, Prozac, and stable points. Even commas, if necessary. Luckily, there are the Marty Feldmans of Hermosa Beach (same expression since 1988) to guide me as sherpas. And God bless Zoli, who finally parked the radio-friendly flirtatious style sandeibladisandei. At least for a while. I don’t know, I have rarely heard anything more contrived than Our Darkest Days. Cuntpaste like even the Wolfmother. And to think that here in Europe nobody cares about Pulley. Oh well, life’s injustices.

"All or Nothing" is really cool. It’s their best. Because Fletcher is the Pete Townshend of punk rock and churns out riffs and sixteenths as if it were 1991. Atrophied and nervous solos. Systematic palm mute. Full Circle is not so far off, only that a big mess always needs to happen for PW to notice. Zoli Unottavasopra Teglas makes it clear that a "Let It Burn" supported by a smashing rhythm section can be a beautiful song: thus the title track and a couple of "slow" ones ("X Generation", "Let Us Hear Your Voice") are born, which surprisingly are anything but fillers (I know, it’s incredible, but some think that "Alien" is good). Here the ace is revealed: Zoli plays at being Jim and Pennywise wonders how Ignite would sound if they didn’t suck. "We’ve It All" screams that the path is the right one, amid the singalong of the most Magyar Pasquale Laricchia and Byron’s god-like thrashing. So, how old is Byron? Does he do drugs? Does he know Agricola? I remember that time he finished "Fight Till You Die" with one hand. It was 2005. Chapeau. Long live Byron and the Pennygnite. Give these young old folks a chance, then.

"All or Nothing" is a slayeringly beautiful album. It emulates Unknown Road ("Waste Another Day"), but it gets into gear thinking of Full Circle ("United" is "Every Time" a semitone up).

Now a nice tour, then enough. What you had to say, you’ve finally said it perfectly.