Eveready

Reinheitsgebot (Liquid Meat)
by Scott Hefflon

I was going to cut Eveready a bit of slack ’cause Reinheitsgebot (Liquid Meat) is their first full-length. Sure, the lyrics aren’t exactly earth-shattering, but it’s a solid Cali-punk album. The more I dug into it, I realized I didn’t have to pad the review at all: This release has balls. The tracks jump from one to the next without even a “1-2-3-4” to slow down the pace. From end to end, this 15-song, 37-minute release is slamming drums, walls of guitar, and snarling vocals.

More in the vein of the older school punk, Eveready doesn’t go for the we-have-layers-of-punk-and-pretty-vocals, they stick with the rough-throated yell choruses of “I hate you” that every pitster will be merrily screaming along with them. Seeing as how all band members sing, it’s hard to align voice to name, but somebody in there has a mock Brit. accent/attitude so thick you’d need a fork to eat it. “Why can’t we all get along?” sounds like a punk rock anthem for the Rodney King generation, but the lyrics don’t really do anything. The music will move your ass, but the best part of the chorus is the repetition of the word “why.” Some anthem, huh? The closing song is the meanest and noisiest cover I’ve heard of “Leaving on a Jet Plane” by John Denver. (What is it about John Denver covers this month?) Truthfully, I like Sloppy Seconds’ junk rock version better, but many people will get a total kick out of this. Eveready should be touring the East Coast this summer and I’ll be there.