Damage Case – Tyranny

Damage Case – Tyranny / 2006 Punkcore / http://www.myspace.com/damagecase / http://www.punkcore.com / Reviewed 06 September 2006

In the last few years, it seems as if Punkcore has moved away from the more popular acts that really gave them a name and into adding a number of new acts. The acts have all been strong; The Scarred cutting their first album for the label earlier this year and Damage Case now. “Death Threat” is the first track on “Tyranny”, and it shows that Damage Case is trying to ease their way into a groove. This is not saying that the track is slow or otherwise lacking, but rather that aside from the guitar line in the second half of the track, there is little that stands out from the rest of the track. Throughout the tracks on the disc, there is no sense that Damage Case is going to let their listeners up for air.

“Violator” is another track that sticks with the pack, but it is during “No Leaders” that the band is able to throw together something special. The Bad Religion like guitar line that starts up the track is the first strong mark for the band, while the vocals stick out prominently from the rest of the track. “Hit To Reality” is a track that brings Damage Case back a few years. There seems to be a more thrash influence for this track, with the vocals fitting into an almost Lemmy location at a number of times. The disc spins to a close well before the thirty minute mark, but “Tyranny” is a disc that individuals can continue playing in a car without the band’s compositions getting stale in the least over multiple listens.

The disc may not have tracks that individuals will hear all over mTV in ther following months, but the band is able to confront their listeners with an overall-strong disc that never fails to impress. There are some gems on the disc, specifically the title track. The guitars go further in creating a narrative that is handed off to the vocals soon after. Through switching off of the narrative duties between the two parts of the band, a track is made that stands head and shoulders above anything else that Damage Case commits to disc on “Tyranny”. Damage Case were a new band to me, and I know that I will be paying much more in the way of attention to them in the next few years. Punkcore has struck gold by signing Damage Case, for sure.

Top Tracks: Tyranny, Mass Control

Rating: 7.1/10

[JMcQ]