On the list of people I hate, few are higher-ranking than Bam Margera. Margera represents just about every quality I dislike in a person, and molds them into one spoiled brat doing literally anything he wants on MTV's tab. Not only that, but his band, CKY, is absolutely terrible. So my hatred comes from multiple angles. However, he does have a friend that shockingly to me, has a much better band than Bam.

You may have seen him in CKY or other assorted movies skateboarding and beating the holy hell out of people. That friend is Mike Vallely, and Revolution Mother is his attempt at a little bit of hardcore and a little bit of punk rock.

First impression -- not bad, not bad at all. It's nothing remotely original but they do get one thing right straight off the bat, and that's the energy. The energy needed to be in a band of this type is more a requirement than any musical skill or writing prowess, and luckily for Vallely and the other three members of Revolution Mother, they have it.

The bass intro to the opener, "Goodbye" evokes a good omen, as that kind of beginning to a song is a punk rock staple. Once you hear the plucked bass strings, you know right what you're in for, or at least think you do in this case. Followed quickly by some spoken word, that bass doesn't lead into quite the fast-paced rhythm that was expected. The verses of this five-minute track are mostly Vallely's spoken word over some very light drumming and guitar resonance, but there's a definite air of danger in his understated delivery. It becomes very apparent why when the chorus comes in -- slow churning metal riffs underneath Vallely's torrid and surprisingly strong screams of "goodbye!." "Second Thoughts" follows up that curveball with the more traditional punk rock fare that I was expecting, and the band is able to cram plenty of hard-hitting aggression into the minute-and-a-half duration.

Switching back to the more hardcore and metal aspect of their songwriting for "Neverdie," the band matches Vallely's harsh vocals with some really terrific riffing that even after hearing the four songs prior, I was not expecting. Guitarist Jason Hampton lays down some incredibly smooth solos and they're actually able to go without vocals for half of the song's six minutes and not lose a bit of the intensity they began with.

Bam, take notes, because while you were off painting your mom's PT Cruiser while she was at work, your buddy Mike accomplished something you've yet to -- recording a good album.