Jughead’s Revenge

Image Is Everything (Nitro)
by Scott Hefflon

A tough LA punk band with a raw, old-school sound, Jughead’s Revenge release another album of stand-alone anthems for self-alienated, angry youth. After a multi-record run with BYO, they’ve made the appropriate jump to speed punk aficionados Nitro, and the Rev sounds right at home. While it ain’t exactly Shakespearean sonnets set to that oh-so-popular punk beat, at least it’s not a rehash of punk dogma masked cleverly as a song (add liberal doses of guitar, fast drums, the words “hate,” “fuck,” and references to a vague omnipresent evil force known as “them.”). No, Jughead’s Revenge is rather anti-everything of their own free will. They’re not just buying into the trendy “smash the state for fun and notoriety (without getting grounded by your parents).” No spring chickens to the scene, songs like “Parliament of Whores,” “Tearing Down the World,” and “Image is Everything,” pretty much attack the “false followers” of the punk revolution. Anti-consumerism, anti-follower, anti-jock mentality (Hey! It’s not just for sweaty muscleheads anymore!), and the usual slew of gripes can be found in the lyrics which are printed, typos and all, in a four-page CD booklet. Sensitive, melodic songs like “Forever” and “Inside of You,” while not the Whitney Houston and Trent Reznor cheese whiz their titles suggest, show a touchingly human core beneath the sneeringly gruff exterior. They even snarl a few harmonies. Visions of happy, smiling people (read: individuals) slamming for peace, love, and cool harmonies. Image is everything.