The Implants

From Chaos To Order (2013)

madapril

The Implants tastefully re-animate skate punk a la 1996. From Chaos to Order is a respectable debut from this SoCal super group and the first release from El Hefe's new label Cybertracks. A fun, consistent release which will compliment the genre, but doubtfully redefine it. This honestly sounds a lot like late-'90s Ten Foot Pole meets American Paradox-era Strung Out. All the earmarks of skate punk are here, and with the band members given resumés, there aren't many surprises, which is fine.

Rob Ramos's guitar work is stellar. His runs are dexterous, melodic and mind-bogglingly fast. Though it owes more than a few notes to "Velvet Alley," the opening track, "Life Passes," is a great song that comes out of the gates swinging. It has a classic Rob Ramos outro and sets the tone for the rest of the album. Of the 12 songs, the average song length is three minutes. Lyrics are mostly self-empowerment-focused, though not too serious or preachy. The album ends with playful jabs at Tom Cruise and L. Ron Hubbard.

Riffs and guitar solos leap out like friendly reminders from American Paradox and Exile In Oblivion often. To a die-hard Strung Out fan it's easy to hear these familiar cues and wind up in comparison land. The drums sound fine. They're everything you'd expect from this type of music but they aren't Jordan Burns. Ken Conte has a softer vocal style, lacking the urgency and fire of Jason Cruz's. All criticisms aside From Chaos to Order is a fun record. The musicianship is high caliber across the board. Unfortunate is the crappy/scary album artwork, which seems photocopied out of a David Icke book.