Pistol Grip – Tear It All Down! / 2004 BYO / 12 Tracks / http://www.pistolgrip.net / http://www.byorecords.com / Reviewed 08 October 2004

Providing their listener base with a sing-along in “When the Ink Runs Dry” LA’s Pistol Grip ensure that each track on “Tear It All Down!” is the perfect mix of rock and punk. “….For I Have Sinned” may have a guitar wash the by and large works because of the sloppiness found on the track, and “Never B Another” continues that same formula for somewhat diminishing returns. Sure, a closely-grouped scattershot of tracks if a solid thing, but some differentiation between those tracks also is another strength to be exploited. The guitar solo that ends “Never B Another” is the first strong step in mixing up their sound, bringing with it a sense of experimentation that continues in the very intricate bass line that sets up “Give In”. Infusing their music with different influences for “Rusted Lining”,, the closer alignment with the Dropkick Murphies and The Street Dogs show that Pistol Grip does not want to hole themselves. While the entirety of the disc is the same styler that comes out during the earliest strains of “When the Ink Runs Dry…”, the disc does still bog down towards the middle, due to the fact that Pistol Grip finds a very warm ditch to bury themselves in.

Don’t get me wrong, the guitars are always sizzling, but a later-disc track like “The Network” sounds like a virtual rehash of “When The Ink Runs Dry”. The staggered, more rap-influenced drum beat of “Can’t Keep Us Silent” tries as hard as it can to change the flow of the disc, but grinds to a halt any momentum that the track has. Pistol Grip makes a disc of hard-edged punk rock, and instead of going in a way like Rancid and having 80% of the disc be strong and radio friendly tracks, “Tear It All Down!” is a collection of tracks that struggle vainly and ultimately are forgettable.

Opening up the penultimate track “Closing Time” with sleigh bells and an acoustic, Pistol Grip has one last hurrah with a track that allows for Stax’s vocals to finally rise about the music and emotionally affect the listeners much more on the tracks immediately preceding it. Pistol Grip hit hard with “The Shots From the Kalico Rose” and “Another Round” but this album is more miss than hit. Here’s hoping their next outing is a little more strong than this.

Top Tracks: Closing Time, When The Ink Runs Dry

Rating: 5.4/10