Album Review: 3dB's Down - "Get Your Retaliation In First"

 

Oh lord, here's a name from the past. Many many years ago as a young writer, I was sent a copy of Kent ska-pop-punks 3dB's Down's Can Of Worms album to review for the webzine I worked for at the time and was, shall we say, less than complimentary about it mainly because this was the era where both the pop-punk and ska-punk waters had been sullied by the horrible frat-punk movement spearheaded by the loathsome likes of Blink 182, Good Charlotte, Sum 41 etc and it seemed like this lot were just another band trying to jump on the wagon. Said review evidently got back to someone who was either a hardcore fan of the band or affiliated with them in some way and it all ended in a somewhat less than dignified argument between us in the comments section underneath said review. Not exactly my proudest moment as a writer - all I can say in my defence is I was a lot more objectionable back then and hadn't quite learned the principle of "if you get sent an album you really don't like then sometimes it's best just to leave it be rather than just needlessly anger people"

Well, 16 years later and suddenly I find a copy of the band's new album in my review pile. Cue a mix of deja vu and dread. And a bit of surprise upon cueing it up to find that it's actually not bad. The band themselves say in the press release that in the intervening 15 years "our lives have changed almost beyond recognition as has everyone's". Maybe it's just that your correspondent is a bit more grown up these days, maybe it's that ska-punk isn't quite the irritatingly omnipresent movement that it was or maybe it's just that some genuine maturity and growth have taken place with this band. Either way, the likes of Count To A Million and Sharpen Your Pitchforks see them take the whole ska-punk template off in a much more politically angry direction similar to King Prawn or Sonic Boom Six and are all the better for it. Elsewhere, the paranoid anger of Everyone Here Is Better Than You is powered along by an excellent rolling riff which really elevates it to being an album highlight.

It's an impressively varied effort as well from the restrained Specials style ska of Idiot Ignorant Evil which shows off the band's musical dexterity (given how ham-fisted some of their contemporaries in this genre could be, no mean feat - in fact the musicianship here is pretty high quality throughout) to the Exit State style angst of Flat Out (To Keep Up) and the eight minute closing assault of Light On A Dark Day. Overall, colour me impressed - this is a varied and enjoyable album from a band who really feel like they're firing on all cylinders and putting their experience to good use. So, erm, yeah, I'll admit it - I was probably unnecessarily harsh on them all those years ago. Definitely one of the more pleasant surprises I've had in the review pile this year.

Bandcamp Link

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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