Review: Only Crime - Virulence

Posted on 19 June 2007 | No Comments

Filed Under: Album Reviews, Punk

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For the unknowing, Only Crime is a punk rock super group of sorts that features Russ Rankin (Good Riddance) on vocals, Bill Stephenson (Descendents/All/Black Flag) on drums, Aaron Dalbec (Bane/Converge) on guitar, and brothers Zach and Donivan Blair (both of Hagfish) and guitar and bass respectively. Based on the the group members’ other projects, it should be pretty easy to discern that the band plays some hard-hitting punk that hearkens back to the glory days of West Coast punk. If you like that sort of stuff then Only Crime’s latest album Virulence will not disappoint.

On Virulence the band sounds heavy and angry and although the album is melodic it sure ain’t poppy. Only Crime even manages to include some dissonant moments that border on being avant-garde (for punks at least) and avoids simply sounding like a rehash of the past. In addition, Virulence features some of Rankin’s best lyrics in recent memory that paint a bleak picture of the world and the hopeless future that awaits us. Luckily for us, Only Crime shines brightly as a punk rock beacon. Virulence is out now on Fat Wreck Chords.

MP3 | Only Crime – Eyes Of The World Virulence
MP3 | Only Crime – Take Me Virulence