Pipebomb – Disclaimer / 2005 Self / 13 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/pipebomb / Reviewed 07 August 2005

I was able to listen to Pipebomb on their MySpace site before we had them play here in Lancaster. I wasn’t able to get the right aura around the band when they played live, as the PA speaker was blown out by that time. The tracks on “Disclaimer” are all normal length for punk tracks – ranging from 90 to 120 seconds, but the recording on the disc really is the hindrance for what is really a mature punk act. Pipebomb does not play any specific brand of punk; this is not noise, 82 oi, or even polit-punk, but rather a homebrew of the band’s own creation. What results on “Disclaimer” is a style of music that is distinctly Pipebomb’s own, mixing break-neck tempos with an overall fuzz and fuck-you attitude.

There are no leaders or followers during “Disclaimer” as all members of Pipebomb are given an equal shot to shine; “Full Clip” brings forward Brandon’s bass to a headlining role while the drumming present during “Life’s A Waste” goes up against the vocals for control. Many of the tracks on “Disclaimer” are solid, but none of them reach the intensely hooky goodness that is “Runaway”, a track that will force anyone with working feet into the pit. Instead of frontloading the “stronger” tracks towards the front of the disc, Pipebomb has such an abundance of first-rate songs on “Disclaimer” that an instant hit like “Island of Shit” can be stuck in the last third of the CD. One extra kudos that needs to be given to the band is that even at this early point, they do not include a bevy of cover tracks to increase their own stock. Good or bad, the tracks on “Disclaimer” are all Pipebomb’s.

“No One Cares” is the one Pipebomb song that seems to draw from the large body of punk music; the track has nearly the same tempo of “Halloween”-era Misfits while having the vocal output of early Screeching Weasel. The multiple-part harmony present in Pipebomb’s final track, a re-tooling of Divinyls’ “I Touch Myself” really gives me as a listener more hope that the band can even surpass the output on “Disclaimer” for their next album, whenever that may come out. The recording may be a little rough, but the message and overall sound of Pipebomb shines through regardless. “Disclaimer’s” 13 tracks end before 26 minutes are up, but by the time the disc spins to a stop, one will feel intimately knowledgable with the band.

Top Tracks: I Fuck Myself, Full Clip

Rating: 6.9/10