Losing All Pride plays a brand of punk that is tremendously tied into hardcore. The style is something that is comparable to an act like Sum 41, but there seems to be a much more genuine thrash influence. This is probably due to the fact that the band is coming fro a California that is rife with thrash history. This means that the disc is well less than thirty minutes, and that Losing All Pride cranks out each track at well under the two minute mark. The tracks all have a brand of catchy, pop influence to them that has not been heard since Pennywise lost their ways around the era of “Fuck Authority”.
The production of this album is solid enough to allow each member of Losing All Pride to shine, while the drop-dead vocals Brad’s vocals should make individuals dig up their M.O.D. and S.O.D. albums. The guitar distortion during a track like “Stand Up” sounds a little cheesy, but nearly everything else on this disc is serious-sounding and appropriate for the band. All of the tracks on “Down This Road” provides a specific sound to Losing All Pride that I hope will be followed up with their future albums. Another comparison that should be made to Losing All Pride has to be Raised Fist, and also New York classics The Pissants. The band is album to work an eighties-sounding style to their advantage for the entirety of this album. The only thing that I would suggest that Losing All Pride do with their next album is perhaps move away from such overused distortion.
If Alex and Kyle’s guitars were allowed to shine as they normally sound when they are stuck into an amp, I have a feeling that Losing All Pride would even be stronger than they are on this album. The disc is strong enough that individuals can put it on repeat and the tracks will sound as fresh the second go around as they did the first time the person loaded the disc into their changer. The band may not have broken it big yet, but chances are good that as soon as an Epitaph finds them, they will be on the route to superstardom. Get on the ground floor before the band gets there, and be ready to rock and rock hard with the sounds of Losing All Pride.
Top Tracks: Lead Them, A Time I Knew
Rating: 7.5/10
Losing All Pride – Down This Road / 2006 Self / 14 Tracks / http://www.losingallpride.com / [email protected] / Reviewed 26 August 2006
[JMcQ]