The Black Halos: The Violent Years

Sub Pop Records

The Black Halos have made a punk rock album that crosses all genres. With raw, lo-fi guitar tones, snotty garage singing, and classic anthem-punk backup vocals, The Violent Years is one helluva hummable record—but harmless pop-punk it ain't: “Warsaw” caves your skull in like a cleated Doc Marten, then poppier numbers like “Last of the 1%'ers” coax you back with Clash-meets-Buzzcocks (or Rancid-meets-Green Day) melodicism—just before mashing your already-damaged skull in with more three-chord vitriol. Even the dreaded requisite ballad, “Capt. Moody,” comes off fine, sounding more like a drunken nod to the Replacements than spiked hair going soft. Jack of all trades, sure—melodic hardcore, garage, pop-punk—but this gritty, memorable disk masters ‘em all.

—John Pecorelli

Alternative Press magazine