Face To Face
Face To Face (1996)
Maximillian Power
 Writing a proper introduction for a review of Face To Face, which is the third
full-length record from Victorville, California punk rock greats Face To Face,
is a bit challenging. Writing a review like a book report for the uninformed,
or coming off as glib by not providing some baseline information (because you
all should know right?), doesn’t provide the best reading material, so I will
try and ride the middle. For all of you who may not know, Face To Face formed
in the late 80’s by guitarist and vocalist Trevor Keith, bassist Matt Riddle,
and drummer Rob Kurth, the band added second guitarist Chad Yaro in the
following years becoming a four-piece. Following the release of Big Choice, bassist and contributing
song-writer Matt Riddle exited the band, making Face To Face the first album that was primarily written by Trevor
Keith; and what can I say? He did a fantastic job.
Face To Face gained some
attention from their previous records, but their third release Face To Face took the band to the next
level. The record featured the best recording quality of the band’s albums to
date (1996 that is… and maybe later), as well as a slightly more radio friendly
sound. The songs have an ability to maintain a punk rock edge, while having a
rock and roll vibe that many of their peers couldn’t produce in quite the same
way. Face To Face didn’t boast a goofy or gimmicky image, they took the speed
and energy of skate punk and mashed it together with a Social Distortion
influence that gave them a stand out quality amongst other California bands at
the time, like The Voodoo Glow Skulls, Guttermouth and The Offspring.
Front to back Face To Face is an extremely strong
album. There are few releases I enjoy as much from beginning to end as this
one. All of the songs keep a fast punk rock pace with extremely catchy and memorable
melodies and hooks. The material on this record comes off as significantly more
serious than many other punk rock or skate punk bands of that time, which
definitely helped Face To Face age as
well as it has. Going back and listening to many of the records you enjoyed as
a teenager can be a pretty cringe worthy experience, but Face To Face holds up. There are many current contemporary bands
that are still trying, and at times failing, to write punk rock music as
genuine and catchy as the songs from Face
To Face.
I have a difficult time
narrowing down a favorite song from this release, but I think I can pick a top
three. The three stand out songs for me are “Walk The Walkâ€, “Complicated†and
“Put You In Your Placeâ€, all three songs are great musically, but more than
that they are songs that are easy to connect with. Covering topics of triumph
and failure, as well as relationships, they are songs that many can relate to
and identify with. This album was a huge part of my teenage years, and
listening back to these songs it is easy to understand why; the songs come off
as sincere but not cheesy, which may sound trivial, but can be tough – anyone
who likes pop punk can attest to this. On top of the fact that these songs are
catchy, they are extremely well crafted musically. They manage to expertly blend
the lines of punk rock, rock and roll, and pop, which is no easy feat in and of
itself.
Face To Face may not
have as much name recognition as a band like NOFX, and they may have had a few
missteps in the following years, but they are just as important. They showed a
generation of 90’s kids that punk rock isn’t all farts and partying (which is
still important of course). I don’t, and come to think of it haven’t ever given
a full 5 star rating for any record, but Face
To Face will be my first. This record is solid punk rock from front to
back, that has held up to the test of time. It was released in 1996 and still
sounds awesome in 2016. It is difficult to review one of your favorite records
without sounding like a redundant fan-boy, but this record and band deserve it
– It doesn’t happen often, so enjoy it while you can.