Pennywise - Straight Ahead (1999)

Tracklist

1. Greed
2. My Own Country
3. Can`t Believe It
4. Victim Of Reality
5. Might Be A Dream
6. Still Can Be Great
7. Straight Ahead
8. My Own Way
9. One Voice
10. Alien
11. Watch Me As I Fall
12. Just For You
13. Can`t Take Anymore
14. American Dream
15. Need More
16. Never Know
17. Badge Of Pride

Along with other California third-wave punk bands like NOFX and MXPX, Pennywise came to fame in the '90s as a major part of the skater/extreme sports milieu. Though the Offspring had more financial success with a pretty similar sound, Pennywise ... Full Descriptionalways had the market cornered in terms of street cred with the skater kids. By the time of STRAIGHT AHEAD's release, the revered Cal-punk quartet were already seasoned vets, having gone through the death of a band member (bass player Jason Thirsk), toured ceaselessly, and released several records on top-dog punk label Epitaph. As this 1999 release shows, Pennywise never abandoned their commitment to the classic West Coast skate-punk sound; fast-and-loud Bad Religion-descended hardcore brushed with thrash-metal dynamics and catchy but unobtrusive pop hooks. For as much as the rabble-rousing lyrics decry the sociopolitical state of things, the churning, frenetic guitar and drums offer an immediate, visceral escape from the malaise.