Legbone - Different Path Sampler

Legbone – Different Path Sampler / 2004 Oink Music / 5 Tracks / http://www.legbone.com / Reviewed 16 November 2004

The first CD I received at Warped Tour, the bandmates all seems pretty personable and I almost felt bad that it took me so long to actually cycle through to this CD. I had no clue what Legbone ever sounded like, as I had grabbed their CD right after their set (I think). Starting out with a set of metal-influenced guitar riffs, the long opening for “Swallowing Razorbalades” is a gauntlet laid down by the band that obscures the thrash-punk of the second part of the sound. With vocals that sound like a mixture of Pennywise and Offspring, the tautness exhibited by Legbone is most definitely a result of two things: the fact that the band has been around since 1991 and the tremendous talent exhibited by the entirety of the band. “Rockers” continues the poppy-but-hard-edged feel that “Swallowing Razorblades” has laid down for the disc’s audience, and the reactionary guitar lines play off the intense vocals of the track. The Vandals make a quick appearance as one of Legbone’s influences during “Blazin’ Urethane”. The chorus drills itself into your brain and holds tenaciously; this is due to the very simplistic and effective guitar lines that provide the perfect medium for the aforementioned vocals.

Bashing through “Lies” with the same sub two-minute power that lifted Legbone through “Blazin’ Urethane”, Legbone proves that the school of music that claims you need a thirty-second intro is absolutely fuckin’ wrong. The only weakness in the mastering is encountered during “Wounds Won’t Heal”, but this is your faithful reviewer trying to nitpit at what is an incredibly solid sampler disc. The “epic” of the sampler, “Wounds Won’t Heal” tops the scales at a paltry 3:14, and it is this ability to condense and push a product that is free from all the mindless bullshit that plagues bands. Legbone has enough gas still in their tank after these five blasts, and nothing makes it seem as if they couldn’t throw on another five or ten tracks to that and still be impressive in their results. Legbone doesn’t strike me as a band that is from Ohio – their sound is polished and intricate, something that not many bands from Ohio are able to do, usually accomplishing the one while being deficient in the other. Pick up “Different Path” from their website, and you will be treated to some of the freshest and most well-wrought punk rock to ever grace this side of the Mississippi.

Top Track: Blazin’ Urethane

Rating : 7.7/10