Holy Rolemodel – The Sum of Our Parts

Holy Rolemodel – The Sum of Our Parts / 2006 Self / 11 Tracks / http://www.holyrolemodel.com /

“Bleed America” is the first track on “The Sum of Our Parts”, and it shows that Holy Rolemodel is a punk act that links together a number of punk sub-genres. There is not a specific set of acts that the band tries to ape, but there is a heavier influence on the band by acts such as Ten Foot Pole, Face to Face, and Dropkick Murphys. The act still has some rough spots that come forth especially during tracks like “Cast Out”. It seems as if the band could easily be the next big punk thing but the act does not gel together completely. This means that the guitars and drums may work on the same plane as the vocals but don’t give the proper highlighting and rub to the vocals.

This does not mean that the guitars (or any other part of the band) is weak, just that they need to continue to work and play together to make for a more cohesive sound on their next album. The band does have a number of bright points on “The Sum of Our Parts”, including the introduction to “Kleenex”, but these are equaled in number by those times where the act could conceivably do better. “Kleenex” is notable because the band takes another stylistic shift; the inclusion of multiple vocals during this track plays on the success of acts like Operation: Cliff Clavin and gives this track enough of a boost that it could conceivably be the song that hooks the most individuals.

“Blister” has a pacing that does not completely succeed; the act’s building up to the chorus does not seem as organic as it could be, and the track thus sounds more than a little stilted. The band is able to take on the earlier styles that acts like The Offspring started with in 1988 and 1989 during a track like “Hemorrhoids Are Swell”. It is when the band has a simple goal and can all get on the same page that Hole Rolemodel (and “The Sum of Our Parts”) really can shine. The act needs to go back and practice to get the harder and more intricate arrangements down, but the act has a great deal of potential talent. This album was released in 2006, so hopefully their next album will come out soon and take individuals by surprise. Give the album a go and see how they mature.

Top Tracks: Believe, Skulls (Misfits)

Rating: 6.5/10