Friday, July 26, 2013

Punk is OK previews three new tracks from Violent Affair's "Cockroach Theory"

I was lucky enough to get a preview of three upcoming album tracks from Oklahoma City punk band Violent Affair, two of which are unreleased anywhere. “Cockroach Theory” is the upcoming album that many punks and former punk radio DJs have been waiting years for. The band’s first album “Stand Trial” showed promise, their most recent single “A Call to Arms” and EP “The Pressure is Rising” showed the talent was there; “Cockroach Theory” seems to be the sign that everything is coming together for the band. I listened to all three of the songs a few times. Here are my first thoughts.



“Destroy Society” is one song that has been available online for a while, but I have to admit that I only really listened to it a couple times. After listening to it again, it surprised me how pogo-y it is. The lead guitar winds up and down the root notes as the rhythm guitarist provides a catchy riff. Dave’s street punk style vocals seem a little out of place when you first hear the song, but the more I listen to it the more I feel like it works for this spikey sing-along. One thing this song reminds me of is how much I like the interplay of vocals on recent Violent Affair releases. The variety of voices makes it feel like the gangs all here.

The next track I opened was the unreleased title track “Cockroach Theory”. The song intros with a stutter that reminds me of “Generator” era Bad Religion, and jumps into the steady street punk beat backed by Ryan’s no-bullshit drumming. The politically charged punk winds up and down in tempo before ending abruptly. This song feels straightforward at first, but the second time through, you start to notice all of the space in this song. The guitars, vocals, beat, and bass all go in and out to give the song a really different feel than your standard street punk track. Harmonized guitar solos and riffs make it a little reminiscent of the metal influence in old VA tracks. It is pretty easy to understand why this is the title track.

As a bassist, I am a sucker for a simple bass and drums intro. “Stronger Than Before” gives me a tingling feeling within the first 2 bars. Zach’s bass riff just sounds mean, I don’t know how else to put it. The line isn’t anything technical, but the tone and notes just make me want to clinch my fists. This track is probably the most recognizably Violent Affair sounding of the three I have, but it still has its share of breaks, guitar riffs with space between notes (ie not just constant strumming), and winding solos. The aspect that stands out for this track is the gang vocals. I can see the fists being raised live every pre-chorus.


These are just three songs from “Cockroach Theory” but they really show a developing sound for Violent Affair. Violent Affair has added a bit of originality to the street punk scene. It almost feels a little risky to step away from something that has been proven to get people moving, but the added creativity and variety in their emerging sound works. With these tracks, and plenty more that I haven’t got a chance to hear yet, I think Violent Affair is starting to come into their own. With the talent there, the songwriting solid, and the studs aplenty, who knows how far these guys can go.

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