Tragedy Vengeance

From the dismal farms of Oregon, Tragedy have emerged as one of punk/hardcore's best kept secret. With two self-released full-lengths already in the bag through their own imprint Tragedy Records, this thrash-punk outfit will stop at nothing to be at the forefront of the genre. "Vengeance" is the perfect follow-up to last year's self-titled debut and not since Hot Water Music's "Forever and Counting," hasemotion flourished so well in a punk-oriented release. Although they are hardly close in style, Tragedy utilize a melodic, dual-vocal assault that allows the music to pull you under their spell in a similar fashion as HWM consistently does. After running through this album a few dozen times, a reasonable comparison would be HWM dual-vocals crossed with the music of Benumb.Granted, no singing, but just as effective and the gruff and sometimes screamed vocals suit Tragedy quite well. The overall song structure remains constant throughout "Vengeance," with ten songs of some of the most ferocious, catchy thrash-influenced punk to date. Tragedy are creating quite the stir in the scene as of late and it's amazing that this band has remained unsigned for so long. They are true to their roots and it's great to see a fairly new band supporting D.I.Y. antics of the old-school. Perhaps it's their political (Anti) everything philosophy, that draws an old-schooler like myself to this album Regardless, this is punk rock at its best. Done by the band, for the band, and embraced by punk fans worldwide. I'd be hard pressed not to say that this band, more than any, has a bright future ahead of them. That is, as long a they play their cards right. Bottom Line: This is one of those bands that anybody who has ever moshed or beaten someone up, would enjoy with fists clenched. No catchy choruses, no whiney singing, just gruff no-frills-political-tainted punk for the ANTI-philosophy that resides in everyone. If Tragedy signed to No Idea or even Epitaph, it wouldn't surprise me in the least bit. Lastly, it's bands like Tragedy that make you remember why you got into punk/hardcore in the first place. If "Venegeace" isn't already a prominent part of your collection, make it.