Adolescents - Manifest Destiny

Written by GE 138.

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Manifest Destiny, the 2nd album the Adolescents have done with Concrete Jungle Records, carries on in the grand tradition that this seminal OC band first started some 30 odd years ago, and that is catchy, riff heavy melodious Punk tunes with an angry Pop bend. I'm not sure who's still in the band, and it's pretty much irrelevant at this point, because as long as they have Tony Reflex on lead vocals and Steve Soto on bass, it's always gonna be the Adolescents, no mater who's backing them. Opening track Escape From Planet Fuck sets the pace for the album with a hard guitar, fast and furious angst driven song full of impressive sing-song melodies and start/stop hooks galore. Great song. I wish the song Silver And Black was about the Oakland Raiders - it's not, but it should be, because it's that good - better than that lame Ice Cube song the Raiders have to hype them up now. Tony sounds great on here, getting better and better vocally like a bottle of fine vintage wine. I have no idea what he's carrying on about on here, but he sounds angry, he sounds passionate, he sounds like he's got something to say, which is good. Complacency and apathy are the worst thing that could happen to an old Punk, thankfully that hasn't happened to the Adolescents. They still sound hungry, they still sound like they mean it maaaaaaannnn.

Everything sounds pretty good on here, thanks in part to bass player / producer Steve Soto. Recorded and mixed by Paul Miner too, which explains why it sounds as good as it does sonically. Guitars are loud and pronounced, bass is punchy and well defined, and the drums are right where they out to be, not too tricky and never overplayed. Look, you know what you're gonna get when you listen to an Adolescents album - and you know that it's not going to suck, because the songwriting team of Tony and Steve have an ear for catchy, hooky, hard hitting songs, and that's exactly what this album is full of. There's not a bad track on here. It's not the best album they've ever done, but it's far from the worst. I'm hard pressed to think of an Adolescents album that actually does suck. Whatever one you think it is, it's not this one. Promise.

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Available from Concrete Jungle Records. You can get it on beautiful red colored vinyl by clicking here. It's available on all formats from Amazon (click here). It's also available on iTunes if you do a search for it. "Like" the Adolescents on Facebook by clicking here.

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