Consumed

Hit For Six (1999)

Scott Heisel

Ok, so it's Fat punk. But if you're one of those people who pigeonhole bands by the label they're on, then you'll be missing out on one of the best albums of 1999. Consumed is a four piece from England, and these boys sure know how to rock across the Atlantic.

The album kicks off with "Sunnyside Up," your basic super-fast melodic punk anthem, just the right thing to get you into the "punk" mindset. The band isn't afraid to stray into dissonance, though, as shown on "King Kong Song." The way the bass line rubs against the guitar line in the pre-chorus is frankly genius, and it gets the average listener saying "Why won't the damn bassist play the right note?" The guitarwork overall on this album is nothing short of spectacular. These guys know how to write some catchy-as-all-hell riffs, and they have enough talent to be able to play them fast. REALLY fast. The drumming is your basic "bass-snare-bass bass-snare" patterns for the most part, but the drummer keeps time very well, and the fills accent with the rest of the band, a skill that is lacking in a lot of punk bands nowadays. Then we come to the singer. His voice has just that right amount of urgency that makes you take note of his frantic vocals. The lyrics are not that amazing by themselves, but it's all in the delivery, in my opinion. This guy could make "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" sound good. Plus, they succeed in the most vital aspect of punk:

No song is over three minutes long (except "King Kong Song, which is 3:08). This is half the reason that this band rocks so hard. Even if there's a song you don't like, it's almost over before you hit the "skip" button. This is by far the best band on Fat (save No Use For A Name), and you'd be a fool not to check them out.

[taken from A different kind of greatness webzine]