Pennywise
followed up 1993's inspired
Unknown Road
with another set of blistering
Southern California hardcore
on its 1995 release
About Time
.
had just begun to gel upon the return of singer
Jim Lindberg
and the completion of
. The band's fourth release in as many years finds it functioning as a full-strength unit, cranking out searing
hardcore
laced with positive but leery messages and ideals. While the music and message remain essentially the same as their previous releases, increasing depth and maturity begin to take hold in both these areas.
"Peaceful Day"
jump-starts
with
Fletcher Dragge
's soaring guitar providing a deliberately tense landscape for
Lindberg
's passionate search for knowledge and enlightenment. While
generally purveys a forcefully positive attitude, the dark undercurrent that began to surface on
claws closer to the surface on
. The justifiably angry
"Freebase"
finds them tackling the pain of losing friends to addiction, a somewhat ominous subject considering bassist
Jason Thirsk
lost a long battle with alcoholism about a year after the release of
's subject matter leans toward dark, brooding misanthropy at times, but always manages to convey an attitude of staunch determination.
"Perfect People"
details the simultaneous frustration and satisfaction of skirting dogmatic societal norms in favor of free-thinking individuality.
"Same Old Story"
expounds the theme, railing against the perils of living blindly by handed-down rules.
captures the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity on
, while continuing to develop an increasingly haunting but inspirational tone. Musically, the band continues to pound out earsplitting, high-energy
with ever-increasing prowess. And while
doesn't necessarily break new musical ground,
shows subtle signs of growth while maintaining its
influences. (Not always an easy feat.) Just when it seems as though
can't get any harder, faster, or tighter, the band members muster their collective forces and strengthen their attack to produce one of the most essential albums of their career. ~ Paul Henderson