Search - Thought Riot :: Sketches of Undying Will

Solidly built punk album

Frankenchrist | USA | 05/26/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Hailing from California's central valley, THOUGHT RIOT have accomplished the difficult task of creating music that serves as a platform for social commentary while still providing the listener with an energetic blend of guitar laden punk rock. This duality of sorts allows fans to enjoy them on two different levels; one level is deeply rooted in the concept of persuading a person to experience introspection and conjecture through their intelligent lyrics while the other level is based solely in the theory of music and melody. Regardless, you have a choice. Whichever direction you may choose, THOUGHT RIOT will supply the goods for your listening pleasure. Their most recent effort, "Sketches of Undying Will" is top notch as far as punk music goes. All the aspects that make punk music great are in this treasure trove of impressive songs. They have the capacity to be stripped down and gritty but they also have tempered their sound with some subtle hints of pop. The gang style choruses are as infectious as any radio friendly punk tune but their harder edged approach sharpens the intensity and stabs your heart with purified passion. From a song structure standpoint, they mixed up the standard punk format with plenty of unpredictable time changes without playing to far outside of the box. There is little doubt that these guys take their music seriously but it seems as if they knew to augment the delivery just enough so it would appeal to more than one style of punk fans. Hence, the twofold appeal. If you are a novice punk fan or a seasoned veteran, THOUGHT RIOT'S cd should be in your collection."