PENNYWISE

It has many been years since I had even thought about PENNYWISE, perhaps due to market saturation of all those bands playing variants of the PENNYWISE's catchy punk rock style, or maybe for no reason whatsoever. Then again, it has been since 2008 that we last heard a PENNYWISE album and even then their kingly status had been eroding. In any case, the first album with IGNITE's Zoli Teglas on microphone duties is not a surprise return to prominence nor does it represent the band as a shell of its former self. It is simply a down-the-line PENNYWISE album that brings with it little, if any risk, of fan alienation.

Tight, concise, and meaty in the riff department, "All or Nothing" is unequivocally punk in construct with hooks that are big enough to be memorable, but not shiny enough to make anyone mistake them for pop punk (or whatever passes as an inauthentic commercial strain of the style) these days). The get-up-and-go that has been a staple of the PENNYWISE approach since the beginning continues to be present with loudness and clarity on "All or Nothing". The edges remain sharp and the guitars often serrated and tough. Those attributes are established straight out of the blocks with the standout title track and with an extra helping of nasty attitude on "Seeing Red". The piss 'n vinegar of old isn't heard to the same extent in the vocals of Teglas, but you wouldn't mistake the band for AFI with him at center stage position either. In fact, his knack for carrying a tune gives songs like the harmony-peppered "Revolution", "Stand Strong" and "Let us Hear your Voice" a little more staying power. The occasional bland spot (e.g. "We Have it All") does little to tarnish an otherwise brawny group of tunes.

While it is hard to feel the same level of excitement on "All or Nothing" from PENNYWISE that made them scene darlings early on, there is no question that the group is still operating with a full tank of gas and a few chips remaining on the shoulders. The flames never lick the sky, but "All or Nothing" still ends up a fiery good time.