punkrawka's Full Review: Prepare the Masses * by A Change of Pace
It's nice to see big-box chain stores pushing music that's genuinely new and undiscovered -- even major-label artists frequently lack exposure, and big "Find 'Em First" displays can be low-priced guides to such music. So I gambled on A Change of Pace's Prepare the Masses at a minimal cost, knowing that I'd get some kind of punk rock, either ridiculous or impressive. Turns out, it was a bit of both, as the album is instrumentally deft and lyrically quite mixed.
No better example exists than the album's title track, which starts things off with a resounding war-drum beat, then opens up into ... a cheesy love song. "Sing me to sleep tonight, sweet Juliet," croons vocalist Torry Jasper, leaving the listener wondering just what they've gotten themselves into. Thankfully, the album rapidly rights course with "How To Rape a Country," an impressively driven anti-war blast -- it's still melodically driven, but it's loaded with big guitars, calculated buildup, and stellar, politically-charged lyrics.
From here, the album goes on a frustratingly similar alternating pattern. Every other song comes out as a lame, "emo"-esque love tune with punky guitars, while in between are blasts of genuinely energetic punk rock. The better examples include "White Lines and Lipstick," with its soaring, powerful choruses and snappy beat, as well as "Shoot From the Hip," which is loaded with powerful instrumental moments and an infectious "Whoa-oh" sing-along line. Lastly, snuck in near the album's closing is an unquestionable highlight, "I Wanna Be Your Rock and Roll." Even with mostly relational lyrics, the band strikes gold with this hard-driving tune, which sounds more like straight-up rock than anything else on the disc, and moves through dynamically written sections that hold the listener from start to finish.
The really unfortunate thing is that the band clearly shied away from the bolder material in deliberately inserting tunes that sound like any of today's faceless pop-punkers. A prime example is the laughable "I'm Alive," which is basically just inoffensive in a musical sense, but whose lyrics are simply dumbed-down and trite ("I'm alive when I'm missing you / I'm alive, but too far from your room"). Following the same basic formula are duds like "Weekend Warriors," "Recipe for Disaster" and "Take Care," all of which adds up to far too many skip-buttons for a truly great disc.
A Change of Pace makes it clear on Prepare the Masses that they have the skill to break out of today's pop-punk mold. Big-rock guitars, genuine frustration and varied songwriting take the helm on the band's better tracks, giving the listener a real treat given the state of most such bands today. Unfortunately, the band seems content to climb right back into the mold when it suits them, leaving this disc as an interesting but non-essential experience for anyone seeking something more challenging than a Good Charlotte/Simple Plan piece of generica.
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