Pezz

The Wicked Leading the Blind [7-inch] (2010)

Brian Shultz

You'd think this new 7" from long-running Tennessee punks Pezz is their first release in a long time, but they actually issued the When Giants Walked the Earth split full-length in 2008 with While I Breathe I Hope. It's only three songs, but the band pack a ton of range into the trio and provide a welcome release in the process.

Pezz continue to play hard-charging, Jawbreaker-tinged punk rock with this three-song EP (plenty of Schwarzenbach-ian vocals invade the opening title track), only with more present-day production flourishes. But the band throw in a few different tricks: the aforementioned "The Wicked Leading the Blind" has a rugged aggression about it, while "The Weight" even adopts more of a sharper melodic hardcore fire, with Naked Raygun speeds and Leatherface's glass-gargled shouts. The band gives a spirited bounce to their closing Leatherface cover of "Watching You to Sleep" that actually reminds me of the riffy rigor of later Dag Nasty with Samiam's emotion.

This is short and ends a little curtly, but is an overall enjoyable "return" for the vets that spins like a playlist of great '80s and '90s punk.

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The Wicked Leading the Blind