You wouldn't know much about Anti-Everything as they're one of those bands trying to establish themselves as the punk mainstay of the Caribbean–Trinidad to be more specific. But what they offer is a telling note and sound reminder that there's great punk music in Latin America and outside North American borders. It's great to see bands achieve this sound outside N.A. without trying so fucking hard to actually nail it. In their own political missives fired and democratic salvos dispatched, they manage not to get too preachy and overly political as they pull off a highly respectable punk record.
They've cultivated a very garage, demo-ish sound under the unpolished and at times, hoarse, vocals of Bryan Khan–but then again, this unrefined and crude set of conditions prove conducive to such bands, as you'd tell from listening to the likes of Comadre and Leer. These two bands really show that punk and skramz can complement each other well and songs like "Bureaucrash" and "Ste. Madeleine" fit perfectly with this notion.
It's also welcoming to see a band claiming Anti-Flag, NOFX and Pennywise as influencers actually trying to stay true to the sound rather than do the expected regional knack of throwing in little bits of ska, soca, calypso and steel-pan. This schtick has grinded to a halt in the Trinidadian music scene as bands get too poppy, and in the most deplorable manner possible, or try to bring in a bit too much local influence. Then you get those who think metal is God's gift to us with the most illegible and poorly-executed screams ever, while the rest of bands think one good guitarist, great at solos and riffs, makes the headlines complete. Fuck that. That's why you don't hear about this Caribbean rock scene. Some are trying too hard to be original while some don't try at all. Thing is, you don't have to fight through wars to be original: it comes with the territory of having a mind made for music and its delivery. You either have it or you don't. For every ten terribly crappy bands in the Caribbean, there's one good one, and Anti-Everything are it.
"Black Stripe" highlights how technically sound the musicians are in the band, making up for the Khan's voice, which actually comes up trumps when you realize that each track differs from the other to give a structurally sound record. It's hard to expect that kind of cohesive flow and coherent breakdown with a Caribbean band as you'd figure they're usually fucking tailor-made to convery a Bedouin Soundclash or Catch-22 type vibe. A lot of this is attributed to Randy Ali, an intelligent guitarist and proficient musician. His groundwork on these tracks is undeniably solid.
'Starving Youth' stakes its own claim for best song of the record, with its grandiose breakdown of bass and drums before recovering that punk vibrancy instilled in the rest of the album. They've got this punk blood engrained in their soul and you get just how dedicated they are to punk, not as a form of art or culture, but as a way of life–that's how translatable the record is. "These Statues Will Collapse" helps to leave another great mark and once again, it's a refreshing audible signature left by a bunch of guys who don't even fucking know to leave all their music free on their website for the world to listen to. Salvage what you can at their website and find out why the hell they'd not have such a great punk record readily available. These fucking Caribbean kids. Classic.