Posted on: November 4, 2009 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Fenix*TX – Purple Reign In Blood / 2006 Adrenaline / 13 Tracks / http://www.fenixtx.com / Reviewed 24 February 2006

For some reason, I was expecting Fenix*TX to be a lot lighter than the Sum 41/Static-X hybrid that the band shows off during this live album’s first track “Something Bad is Going To Happen”. In a sense, the band throws in a little Atom and His Package to the mix at appropriate times. The production value of this album is pretty good for a life show, but there does not seem to be the proper micing of the audience. Thus, the audience sounds weak and anemic, something that was surely not the case at the actual show. “Tear Jerker” is a much more sedate type of sound and really shows Fenix*TX as a purveyor of an emo style that was influenced by acts like Jets To Brazil and Sunny Day Real Estate as well as being influential to all the current emo acts on the market (TGL, All-American Rejects).

Thirteen cuts await listeners and seem to show a dichotomy in the style of music that one should expect from the band; if it is not the more melodic sound or the rough-hewn sound that have previously been mentioned, there is a third path where Fenix*TX take on acts like The Vandals and Face to Face (specifically in tracks like “Major Tom”). One thing that can be said about the production on the disc is that the band is caught perfectly, even if the audience is left out of the game a little bit. This means that the active bass line present in a track like “Abba Zabba” can be heard in all of its glory amongst the guitars, vocals and drums. For those individuals that might have missed out on Fenix*TX the first time, “Purple Reign In Blood” seems to be a live greatest hits of the band.

Even though the band sold over 600,000 copies of their albums, there are still quite a few people that have missed out on the phenomenon, so this might be a necessary pick-up. Especially of note is the very Descendents-influenced “Pasture of Muppets”, which throws in a Fugazi / “Waiting Room” bass line for good measure. Well worth the purchase price, this live disc should be enough of a reason for Fenix*TX to reform and take the music world again by storm. This disc might not be a purchase for mothers trying to get their kids something (extreme profanity between the tracks), but seems okay for everyone else.

Top Tracks: Pasture of Muppets, Tear Jerker

Rating: 6.5/10

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