A Change Of Pace

An Offer You Can’t Refuse (Immortal)
by Jessica Parker

Fresh from high school graduation, A Change Of Pace are ready to prove themselves with their debut album, An Offer You Can’t Refuse. Their talent is obvious from the first few seconds of the first track, “Loose Lips Sink Ship,” which infuses a hardcore sound and screaming with melody. The drums and guitars brim with white-hot energy: The sound is thick, aggressive, and pumping. Guitarist/vocalist Torry Jasper has that I’m-a-pissed-off-teenager voice, meaning he still sounds like he’s an adolescent, but that should change soon enough. It’s not a bad voice, just an odd juxtaposition for such heavy music. For a debut, An Offer You Can’t Refuse is impressive. They don’t fall for the trappings of a young pop-punk band – you’d think kids these days would just want to step into that genre – instead, they’re dark but hopeful. They’re heavy but not metal. They’re better than most of the pop-punk bands that’ve been on the scene for years (cough Good Charlotte cough) that try to pull off a heavy side but don’t quite come through. A Change Of Pace aren’t even pop-punk, but because they’re young and their music is slightly catchy (but not in an annoying way), they’ll probably get categorized that way. Let’s hope they’re not cute, or they’ll be hearing from TRL.
(www.immortalrecords.com)