It's not that Out of Nothing sound outdated, even though they kinda do. I mean, there are a shitload of `80s hardcore bands who sound 20 years removed from current hardcore, but many of them get away with it because they sound fresh or have great songwriting. Out of Nothing fail on both fronts. This Floridian five-piece produces disappointingly dull and unoriginal ska-punk for their Everyone Perishes EP that could've easily come out of the late `90s, but sounds sorta shitty in the late `00s too.

Because of their vocalist, Out of Nothing could be compared to Voodoo Glow Skulls. I will give them this -- their singer is way, way less obnoxious than the VGS guy. But even then, he's got this throaty, underwhelming delivery and he doesn't really sound like he's got full command of his band.

That could be forgiven if his band was doing something impressive, but it's nothing but rehashed, smeared out riffs that certainly aren't being helped by a muted recording full of ear-numbing bass rings and a stuffy mix. The horn section can admittedly be punchy, and I even found myself tapping my foot a bit for closer "The Destruction Fell on Deaf Ears," but those few redeeming qualities are all that can be pulled out of Everyone Perishes. The aptly titled "Clusterfuck" starts with the most banal repeating of "-tion" words ("desperation," "hesitation," etc.) and it sounds even worse than any fourth-rate Rancid Hellcat band could muster.

Another off-putting factor about Everyone Perishes is the huge gaps between songs. There's like fucking 15 seconds of total silence between some tracks, and it renders totally useless whatever sense of flow and sequence the band might've been going for when they ordered these tracks. You didn't have to make sure your CD was exactly 26 minutes, guys.

Everyone Perishes? Ska-punk band? I think Mustard Plug was a little more clever in this area -- not to mention, ultimately, a way more proficient example of how ska-punk can sound. Better luck next time.

STREAM
Terminator
Clusterfuck
Voodoo
The Destruction Fell on Deaf Ears