The Generators – Excess Betrayal....and our Dearly Departed / 2005 Fiend Records / 14 Tracks / http://www.the-generators.com / http://www.fiendmusic.com / Reviewed 07 March 2005

I first played The Generators on my radio show, and I was so blown away by “Roll Out The Red Carpet” that I had to go and review the disc. Immediately impressive about The Generators is that even two years after this album came out, the guitars are blazing, sizzling forward to close out each and every track. With each subsequent track on “Excess”, the general sound gets more refined and dare I say poppy, moving from an intense punk sound for “Roll Out The Red Carpet” to more of a glam-rock feel for “New Disease”. With each subsequent track, the general sound that The Generators strike me as trying to create is a better-produced Misfits meeting with the guitar virtuosity of Bad Religion. Far from being just a guitar-driven band, a track like “Thirty Seconds” shows Johnny Stash’s incredible ability on the bass. In fact, the general sound of “Excess Betrayal” really has an analogue to Welt’s earliest works.

Doug’s vocals are distinctive, occupying the space in between Rise Against’s lead vocalist and Mike Ness, making for a disc at all sections that one can identify. The incorporation of a piano roll during “Dying In A Rock & Roll Band” shows the ability of The Generators to successfully don the mantles of rockabilly for a short period, and even more than that, enlightens the listener base to the fact that The Generators are not one-trick ponies. Exploring their glam-rock side with a pseudo-ballad, “Transmitter”, The Generators keep their listeners reeling with both the incorporation of this new style and a bare form of sympathy that will rend hearts and burn souls. By far, I have absolute no idea why this album did not come out in the US when it was first released, as this is some of the most impressive punk to come out to come out in the last decade!

“Excess, Betrayal...” needs to be placed alongside the other albums in the punk hall of fame, alongside such incredible works as Green Day’s Dookie and the Sex Pistols’ Nevermind the Bullocks. Moving skillfully and effortlessly through a myriad of genres, The Generators bring punk to its emotional maturity and make an album for the next generation of punk. If this album originally came out in 2003, chances are that The Generators are about done with another album. Here’s to hoping they cut another disc in the near future!

Top Tracks: Lost in Transition, Roll Out The Red Carpet

Rating: 7.3/10