*** THIS IS RUSTBELT STREETPUNK ***

CL1 & FIRST OFFENSE - "THIS IS RUSTBELT STREETPUNK" ("Dim Records"; CD):

Here's one of the newest releases of "Dim Records", came out in one of the last months of this very year named 2010. Again "Dim Records" went across the ocean and bringing us here some bands from America respectivel the U.S.A. Like the record title says, they're playing (American) Streetpunk, coming out of the so called 'rustbelt' area. That's the region in the north of the U.S.A. that once was known as being the 'manufacturing belt' and the 'increase-center' of the U.S.A., a time when economical increase was build upon heavy industry and real hard work and not upon shady financial speculation, manipulation, etc. on the stock market. The rustbelt was reaching from the area of the Great Lakes over to the atlantic coast and cities and regions like Boston, Washington D.C., and New York City. So you see, Working Class through and through, what's always a good thing!!! So what do we get from this two bands out of this rustbelt area?!? Hard and heavy Streetpunk, played very well paced and rough and raw and full of Sing-A-Longs, and not this happy-faggy 'Street'punk crap like it's often or maybe even usually played today. Both bands fit very good to each other. Both bands build their songs upon a bulky and harsh cracking rhythmsection by hard and noisy sawing guitars and hard and aggressive, beer steeled vocals, made round by a lot of Sing-A-Long parts and crew singing back ups, also working sometimes with some few Hardcore influencs. All good and fine, but both bands aren't really that exciting or 'special' anyhow. Both bands try to somehow combine THE ANTI-HEOS with THE LOOSE SKREWS, but really lacking the abilities at all to do this at least a little bit. Don't get me wrong, it's some solid and better, some good Streetpunk from the States that you can really lend one or two ears to check it out if you're into (American) Streetpunk music, but CL1 as well as FIRST OFFENSE aren't playing in the first league currently. Not to mention the champions league of Streetpunk music. If they keep working on it then it could be that the next time you see a record of one of them this one could really be a 'hot kick off', especially FIRST OFFENSE do really own this potential and also working hard and good on an own identity (for example they're working with a little blast speed drumming parts to start "THE OPENING BELL" off), so time will tell how the Rustbelt Streetpunk of tis two bands will be developing in the future. Like I've already said, time will tell. Currently it's not a must-have anyhow or anything like this, but an okay and sometimes also really better release. From both bands we get some good lyrics (the usual Streetpunk stuff), the record is coming in a truly good artwork (I really like the cover that you can also above see), as well as the production sound of this split reord is prety good when it comes to both bands. Ah, but damn it, I still think that split releases should really be coming out on vinyl, hm, and I think I've said it already before... so it's about time the labels finally start to do as I say, haha;-). So, if you're heavily into Streetpunk then you maybe just should get this record, if not you can still give it a fair chance by lisening to it. Solid, nah, good suff, so decide for yourself if you even also today need a 'just' good Streetpunk record. If you decide so, then here's your choice. This record gets after all and all in all... (7 of 10 points)

(http://www.myspace.com/cl1)

(http://www.myspace.com/firstoffense)