The Ducky Boys - The War Back Home / 2006 Thorp / 12 Tracks / http://www.duckyboys.com / http://www.thorprecords.com / Reviewed 07 July 2006

The Ducky Boys play an interesting brand of punk rock. The motions are all there, but the general sound seems much more influenced by hair bands than anything else. “Celebrate” starts off the dream, and while the track has an energy to it, the fact that is approaches punk with such an interesting blend of style might be something that puts listeners off. Still, it is a tremendous gambit that The Ducky Boys begin this disc with and one that increases the stock of the band in my eyes.

“The Middle Children of History’ drops some of the hair metal influence but keeps the laid-back sound that was first present during “Celebrate”. I’m not sure where exactly The Ducky Boys get their primary influence from; there seems to be equal amounts of Social Distortion and Dropkick Murphys struggling for dominance. Just because these bands struggle for dominance does not mean that those acts are the only acts that have any say in the final products of “The War Back Home”. “Tortured Soul” is a track that has a vocal inflection that directly tied to the band’s Guns N Roses and Poison influence, while the drumming takes heavily from the Dick Dale bands.

“Isolation” uses the same few chords of power that Social Distortion made prominent during their nineties album; each subsequent track on “The War Back Home” is something that could be played on hundreds of radio station, even if the subject matter is a little dark for the bouncy nature of the tracks on the disc. The fact that most of the songs on “The War Back Home” have such a classic sound should appeal to the older punks in the audience, while The Ducky Boys’ output this time will bring newer punks into the more classic acts, as the band acts as a bridge between the two styles. The style that The Ducky Boys cultivate with the album might not be as hard as individuals want the band to be, but one has to admit that the band comes up with a fun style that offers tremendous replay potential. Hell, The Ducky Boys come out with a track in “Two Thieves and a Sailor” that beats out Green Day in being Green Day. The band has been around for over a decade and shows nothing in the way of rust. The Ducky Boys cut another amazing album in “The War Back Home”, and this is something that punks should search out.

Top Tracks: Isolation, Celebrate

Rating: 6.8/10

[JMcQ]