S.S.S.P.
For Life (2007)
Brian Shultz
Mike DeLorenzo and Vinnie Value have probably been around long enough to be regarded as New York Hardcore veterans -- their pedigree includes, and I'm just going off the one-sheet here, Kill Your Idols, Celebrity Murders, Warzone, Serpico, C.R. and No Redeeming Social Value. They pair together here in S.S.S.P. (Skinheads Still Scare People) to craft a full-length of highly Oi!-influenced hardcore punk that, despite a couple flaws, is fairly solid.
Firstly, the album begins with "Old Blood, New Breed," a melodic instrumental of double-time punk that, while certainly isn't bad, feels more like a mid-album effort and probably would've been better suited as a secret song. It also shows you that the recording on For Life is fairly rough to the point that it actually makes the music less confrontational and up front -- everything just seems a little muffled. "Spin the Bottle" is next and really reveals what S.S.S.P. essentially sounds like: It's, well, a more Oi!-influenced version of early Kill Your Idols, with considerably slower vocals. The song after, "What Do You Stand For?" is easily one of the album's best, nearly matched by rugged cuts like "It's Up to Us" and "Dead and Gone."
S.S.S.P. definitely pile on the Oi! aesthetic generously, with that front cover to the right only the tipping point. "Jimmy" coincidentally shares some of the same personal confusion regarding soldiers going off to war with another hardcore song of the nearly same name, especially with a line like "another life is lost for something we don't understand"; however, it also throws in a chorus that unapologetically declares "always support our troops." That moment might be pretty awkward for the complete opposite end of the punx spectrum, but it's easy to see where the band is coming from in the context of the song.
For Life tacks on four bonus tracks, all of which make up their 2006 7" EP Skinheads Still Scare People. While the record overall comes off as a bit sluggish and tired sometimes (see "Never Give In"), S.S.S.P. prove they can write some good, enjoyable tunes that freshly blend in a style some tend to perceive as dated or dead.
STREAM
Spin the Bottle
Jimmy