Record Label: Tent City Records
Genre:
Band Link:
Buy on Amazon.com link

If the anti-consummerism was not a distinct reminder of the Leftover Crack/ Choking Victim/ INDK era, the music will certainly have a familiar sound (minus the random ska interjections). No, American Distress is not a mere imitation, but yet another offshoot to add to this unique grouping. Formed in August of 2001 in New York City, American Distress was a product of the IN-DK break up. The band’s formation was spearheaded by Skwert (drums) and Paul (guitar).

Vocalist XRay has a rather harsh sound at first, but the messages in his lyrics throughout the album deserve a good listen. With songs that boast lyrics like, “Everythings a copy of a copy/ Integrity is dead/ People don’t resist the ruling powers/ They sell the space out in their heads/ Empty robots sit and stare/ Tons of police everywhere/ Go out shopping don’t ask why/ You’re being watched by the electric eye” (and that is just the first track) the album as a whole will surely impact the listener as the lyrics continue to drill similar sentiment into the listener’s ears. The remainder of this self-titled debut full length is just as in your face and hard-hitting as first track, Fraudulent Times in both sound and lyrics. The lyrics are cleverly displayed in the CD booklet on colorful receipt paper near a disclaimer from the band noting that they received “no help from a corporate sponsor” as the record was put out by the drummer’s indie label, Tent City Records.

The aggressive hardcore/punk is best displayed on tracks like Fraudulent Times, On Fire, Nowhere To Go and Be The Law, the songs are not necessarily catchy but they are powerful and bring to mind old school punk with a message, a genre that is now scarce. The album includes four previously released songs (Ill Logic, Eternal Bullshit, My 3 Guns and Nowhere To Go) from their demo released June, 2003 along with eight new and original tracks. This record will certainly appeal to fans of Choking Victim, Leftover Crack and INDK as well as anyone else who can appreciate hard, thought provoking punk.

Bottom Line: Old school style hardcore/punk with a message for fans. For fans of Leftover Crack, Choking Victim and INDK.
Notable Tracks: Fraudulent Times, On Fire, Nowhere To Go, and Be The Law
Overall Rating: