Not every punk band that came along in the '90s or 2000s is a confessional, introspective emocore outfit à la
blink-182 or Jimmy Eat World. Some bands prefer an old-school punk sound -- old-school as in late '70s and early '80s -- and that could mean being influenced by anyone from
the Clash to
Fear to early
X. During punk's early years, bands ranged from sociopolitical agitators like
the Dead Kennedys to fun, poppy combos such as
the Dickies. But there is nothing poppy about
Hate Your Everything; on this 2002 release, it is obvious that
the Bad Vibes identify with the more hostile, angry, and dysfunctional side of old-school punk. Those who don't know enough about the history of rock might think that
Nirvana,
Pearl Jam, and their grunge colleagues invented the idea of angst rock, but long before those Seattle residents made alt-rock mainstream, there were punks who lived and breathed dysfunction -- punks who totally rejected the glossy, larger-than-life escapism of arena rock. And that is the side of old-school punk that the Philadelphia-based
Bad Vibes celebrate on
Hate Your Everything. Angst-ridden bands like
Black Flag and
the Germs are the sort of punks who come to mind when
the Bad Vibes angrily tear into "Sorry Ass Me," "Lifetime of Bad Days," and other forceful, pessimistic tracks. The garage-like production isn't great, but then,
the Bad Vibes aren't going for a clean type of sound -- they thrive on rawness, and
Hate Your Everything is the essence of raw. No one who has been following punk for 15, 20, or 25 years will find
Hate Your Everything to be the least bit groundbreaking, but it's a decent and sincere, if derivative, effort that die-hard fans of old-school punk should be aware of. ~ Alex Henderson