Panthro U.K. United 13 is a band from the beardcore mecca of Gainesville, FL. Their album Sound of a Gun was released on No Idea Records in 1998, and this album is pretty damn good.

The band's sound jumps from straight-ahead punk rock tracks like "Sound of a Gun" and "Princess" to the more metal and alt-rock sound of "Alien Cok" and "P.U.K.U. 13 Fight Song." The title track, "Sound of a Gun" is a pretty laid-back track that rocks the fuck out, and it's definitely the strongest track on the album.

The band's sound is wrapped up in two main parts: the vocals and the guitar work. The vocals are much clearer than many of their peers but like to roll into emotive shouts. With the way the album is mixed, it comes out sounding raw and real, like the singer is trying to shout over the music at you. The guitars switch from slow-chugging metal to simple pop-punk from track to track. The guitar work fits each song like a glove, and the stylistic switch from track to track flows remarkably well.

The sound of this album can most easily be compared to Hot Water Music's album Fuel for the Hate Game. But the comparison is more based of off production and sound quality, because Panthro blazes ahead with mid-tempo punk rock more reminiscent of bands like the Mushuganas.

The more I try, the harder it is to really pin down another band that sounds like these guys. They're a pretty unique punk rock band that brings that little something extra to the table. All in all, it's a good release from No Idea with some hits and some misses, but the hits are dead on.