Search - PAX217 :: Engage

They copied 311, Now they want to copy POD

Sergio | Lafayette, Louisiana | 02/20/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This cd is ok. I have mixed feelings about it. The sound is different. Daves voice got a little deeper in this one, and the music got a little heavier. He sings more than raps in this one, but its nothing to lose sleep over. Josh Auers bass work is phenomenal on this album. I cant believe how complex his notation, chords, and rhythms are, and at his young age! Wow! On the reggae and rap tunes, he takes the spotlight in my opinion. Keep up the good work josh!The drums are well different, in a bad way. Skwid was a better drummer as far as talent goes. He had style, with complex beats, ghost notes, and his drumset was a jazz-style drumset, which has a higher pitched, tighter sound. Joey plays very simplistic beats. Although he sounds cool in the songs, he probably doesnt have a mastery of the drumset like skwid did. He is more of a hardcore drummer, becuase he likes to bang and pound louder than skwid, and his drums are very heavy and low pitched. This sounds ok for the rockers, but on the reggae, rap, and funk songs, the drums sound horrible and out of place (because of their heavy sound) Bobbito is like the best non-black rapper I have ever heard. His turntables are nothing to overlook either. For once, there is a rap/rock band that can actually sound like contemporary rap, instead of regurgitating will smith-like rhymes that newer rap fans cant enjoy. Listen to the song "PSA" Now that is some REAL rap/rock.
Hard rockers, and Jesse impresses me with his guitar work once again. I swear his reggae riffs are trippy, and they rock! More reggae than I expected, which is good, because it shows they wont diss it like POD did. Where's da funk? no pure funk songs on here, but theres the occasional funk guitar in some songs. The cd itself is half good and half bad. The sound quality is messier on this one than on their debut. The first 6 songs are great, but after that, the songs get repetitive and not as good songs, which makes for a bad cd. I think they tried to go too mainstream with this one. I liked their debut much better. Back then they emulated the rock/rap/reggae style of 311. They still mix rap/roc/reggae/funk but less 311 style and more POD style, which I dont like too much. Hopefully, they wont take the same route and shed off their creative rap, reggae, and funk influences and start playing nothing but fast rockers that all sound the same. I can only hope for better in the future. Maybe they will go back to "Twoseventeen mode" and make some diverse music again. Bands need to be original, this cd wasnt doing that."

REVIEW FROM PAX217

JOSH AUER | MISSION VIEJO, CA | 05/23/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"HEY EVERYBODY,
ITS JOSH FROM PAX217. THANKS FOR LOOKING INTO BUYING OUR NEW ALBUM. OVER ALL...WE ARE PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT IT. IT DEFFINATELY DISPLAYS HOW WE'VE GROWN AS PEOPLE, AS A FAMILY AND AS MUSICIANS.
IT DEALS WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT EMOTIONS: GOOD TIMES, BAD TIMES, MOVING LIFE IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION, LOOSING A LOVED ONE, BEING IN LOVE, SEXUAL ABUSE, ANGER, FEAR, HOPE...THE LIST GOES ON AND ON.
IT IS OUR HOPE AND PRAYER THAT SOME PART OF THIS ALBUM HITS HOME TO EACH AND EVER ONE OR YOU OUT THERE.
AND FOR ALL YOU ROCKERS OUT THERE...DON'T WORRY, WE HAVEN'T GONE SOFT ON YA.
CHECK OUT PAX217.COM FOR SOUND BYTES AND MORE INFO ON US.
PEACE.
JOSH AUER
PAX217"

Excellent

Jacob | Columbus, GA | 06/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're expecting exactly what you heard on the first album, don't. At first I was somewhat disappointed because some of the sounds were different. But I gave it another listen, and another...and another. Basically, it's the only thing that's played in my car since I got it three weeks ago. Pax217 is an awesome band, and I've been waiting for this CD for two years. It's truly a great album and if you like mainstream acts like Incubus or Linkin Park, then you'll definitely enjoy these guys. If given the chance, I think they would break through and rock the mainstream music industry. BTW...these guys need to come back to Columbus, GA so I can see you play!"