'When Everything Goes
Down'
It's good to hear some
balls-to-the-wall, fist-in-the-air rock tunes every now an then, and
that's something that American quartet Live Not On Evil have plenty
of. This is honest, gritty, driving and riff orientated rock infused
with punk attitude and gothic sheen. The band's latest full length
offering, 'When Everything Goes Down', sees the band drop
full-throttle riffs, throbbing bass lines and thundering drums in the
blender, and the result is pretty infectious.
Throughout the ten
tracks on the album, the band don't veer far from their formula. In
true punk fashion they know what their strengths are and continually
play to them with songs such as 'Falling For It', 'Set On Random',
'Switchblade Angels' and 'Still She Haunts Me'. There are no pulled
punches or soft ballads. But that isn't to say the album is one long
fast riff-fest. Tracks like 'Coming Back To Life' and 'The Claim'
shine in particular as they slow things down and play with the
atmosphere of the album while maintaining the band's heavy formula.
The production is rough
and ready, and for the most part it works. Especially when the band
are simply going hell-for-leather. However there is more than one
occasion when the vocals feel a little wrong in the mix. As though
they're kind of sat on top of the track. But this isn't a common
occurrence, and the songs don't suffer at all from them.
This is a tight and
well-written album by a band that should by all rights be a more
well-known name. They have the gritty heaviness of early 69 Eyes, the
metal infused punk overtones of The Misfits in the 90s, and the
playful air of Lesbian Bed Death. It's a solid formula that should be
well received across the board. Lets just hope they can continue to
incorporate more varied tracks on future releases.