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Face the Crowd

Combat Crisis

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Customer Reviews

Combat Crisis "Face the Crowd"

Combat Crisis's first album opens with the anthem "We Represent" and lets the listener know right out of the gate what the band is all about. Lyrics like "The price that they pay is the blood we will spray" coupled with the backbeat obviously influenced by Until We Die-era A Global Threat set the tone for the rest of the record. The song breaks the pace with an oi inspired guitar solo before running back into the breakneck streetpunk pace and continuing on into the second track, "D.T.T.R". "D.T.T.R." maintains the style set up with the album's opener, as do the rest of the tracks on the album. Though the style is limited to a very PunkCore/Rodent Popsicle Records sound, the album is fleshed out well and keeps the energy high.
"World Won't Wait" starts out slow with a tough but simple lead guitar riff that sounds like a lost track from the legendary Last Resort. The follow-up, "Fool Me Twice" consists of eerily familiar chord progressions and a simple guitar lead that breaks up the basic verse-chorus-verse song structure. The band's mantra, "Combat Crisis", is very, very close to the Casualties' track "On the Front Line", and the song structure (much like the Casualties song) is simple and stays basically the same throughout. The simplistic structure lends credibility to the lyrical focus of the song. This is when the band is really able to merge their statements conceptually with their music. Their stances against racism and homophobia may seem "progressive" to some, but are viewed by members of the band as basic ideas that every human should be able to understand. It's fitting that they don't try to fit such basic concepts into lofty, artsy, absurd music. This music works because it's accessible to average teenage kids, the people who need to hear messages about these things.
The album is well-produced, and every element of the band's sound is balanced and easy to hear. The guitar tone is thick enough for the style without coming out too distorted. The bass cuts through with the mids pushed up, but doesn't get that clunky sound some streetpunk bands tend conjure up when going for a similar tone. The lead guitar work is simple but mostly effective. The lead intro in "40CC’s" is a simple rock n roll shuffle that a lot of oi bands borrow from, but it works in the song and is a welcome distraction to barrage of power chords and drum rolls that open most of the tracks. "Misled" also has a well done lead guitar intro that is doubled over as a break between the choruses and verses that's merely some simple metal-tinged shredding buried behind a thick wah effect. The solo during the break down in that song continues with a more metallic theme, but is well done; if being incredibly simple.
The vocals aren't annoying, but aren't really anything special. There isn't much range to style, as lead vocalist Elisha Cause tends to take most of her cues from the likes of Final Conflict and the Unseen. She lacks the uniqueness of other punk front women that have cultivated a style of their own, such as Tatti of Lost World/Endrophobia or Amyl of Imperial Leather. The vocals aren't bad and don't distract from the more positive elements of the band, but they don't seem to offer much on their own.
Face the Crowd is a solid debut for Combat Crisis. This record isn't going to break down any walls musically or lyrically, but for an album in this genre it works on almost every level. The attitude and intensity is kept up for the entire running time, and this is a case where a streetpunk band has succeeded in writing a great album rather than just a collection of songs that would probably work better as four 7"s.
Review by Ian Wise

Band creates the complete package with the debut release

Punk rock and a hard-edged opinion have always gone arm-in-arm. Whether the theme is about helping someone in need or it’s about being against something that is taking place in politics at the time, punk bands are usually the ones who will take up a position for or against something first to make their opinions known. So it comes as no surprise that Face the Crowd, the new release from Pennsylvania-based outfit Combat Crisis, spends most of its time focused on one intellectually charged topic after another.

Combat Crisis is a five-piece that makes its home in Philadelphia, PA. The band is composed of Elisha Cause on vocals, Anthony Edge on guitar, Johnny Ruin on guitar, Jonas Image on bass and Adam Bomb on drums. Together, the band creates music that is both energetic and full of emotion.

The first song on Face the Crowd, “We Represent,” takes aim at war. More importantly, the song takes aim at our involvement in conflicts that we may or may not have any stake in at the time. The view is that our soldiers are dying for nothing and we are getting nothing out of it. “D.T.T.R (Don’t Try To Resist)” is a song about being wrongfully accused and incarcerated. What happens after you’re released from prison after serving time for something you didn’t do? Unfortunately, too many people have lived through this reality. What’s your opinion on this subject? Combat Crisis lets you know what they think. While most of the songs on Face The Crowd are statements on things that are happening in the world today, the song “Fool Me Twice” is more of a personal declaration than anything else- you’ll never get the better of me twice.

For the vast majority of the release, Combat Crisis creates a punk rock sound that incorporates a break-neck tempo. That tempo becomes part of the band’s signature style for the album. However, the band seems to just throw that style out the window for the album’s title track. On “Face The Crowd,” they slightly slow their pace to help create a different feel for the album’s title track. And while the members of Combat Crisis feel like a different group for just that song, it also happens to be one of the strongest tracks on their debut album. One has to wonder, however, why anyone would bury the title track on the final quarter of the album? With the song being as strong as it is, and with it being the title track, why isn’t the song one of the first songs on the album?

Face The Crowd by Combat Crisis comes to a close with two tracks that seemed to have been paired together perfectly, “Out of Luck” and “Nothing to Lose”. The two mindsets work well together to bring Face the Crowd to a close with a lot of energy.

Face The Crowd by Combat Crisis is a great punk rock album. The lyrics make you think, the musicianship is very good, and the album as a complete package is just what fans of punk rock music are looking for. If you’ve never encountered the band Combat Crisis before, their debut album is worth checking out.

Review written by Matheson Kamin

Rude Crude Punk Rock

With names like Elisha Cause, Jonas Image, Anthony Edge, Adam Bomb, and Johnny Ruin, Combat Crisis is out to prove to the world that their music is more than just music. Their debut album, Face The Crowd, carries with it a message of retaliation against injustices such as rape, false imprisonment, and corrupt governments. Sporting multi-colored mohawks and the classic punk rock attire, Combat Crisis portrays a sense of freedom from conformity and rebellion at society as a whole. This is pure punk rock, the kind that would make Black Flag proud.

Face The Crowd opens with the track “We Represent,” and like many of the songs on the album, it is short and not-so-sweet. At just over two minutes, the opening track packs a punch and establishes from the start that Combat Crisis has mastered the art of hard-core, ear-bleeding punk. As the title of this track implies, they are here to represent. The following track, “D.T.T.R.,” is seemingly a continuation of the fist track and the listener may have difficulty differentiating when one ends and the other begins, at least until the hook of “D.T.T.R.,” which is melodic, as far as hard-core thrash punk goes.

“World Won’t Wait” takes the album in a slightly different direction with a slower-paced rhythm and an attention grabbing bass line. This slower tempo lasts for about 40 seconds into the song before Combat Crisis reverts to what they do best – gracing the masses with their unique style of punk music in all its raging glory. The lyrics are brutally honest and filled with anger as Elisha Cause sings, “Now I’ve had enough of you and there is nothing I can do. I’ll stand right here and watch you die; watch your whole life pass you by. Greed and corruption – total self-destruction.” Punk rock at its finest continues with “Fool Me Twice,” a stinging anthem dealing with betrayal that has some excellent instrumentation in it, as is evidenced by the spectacular guitar work within. Combat Crisis does a phenomenal job making sure their sound is clean and that the listener gets the full effect of each instrument, which is occasionally difficult to do with punk music since much of it is very fast-paced, heavy, and can sometimes come across sounding muddy and unfocused, but the sound of this album is exceptional.

A good example of the clean sound that this collective has produced is the track “Combat Crisis.” This piece opens with the crisp sound of a killer drum beat and then the boys come forth with a Ramones-sounding “OohhhhOoohhhhhOhh!” that is refreshing and energizing. The lyrics of this track are brimming with rage and revolt against the world in general. “Your Life” provides the listener with a brief reprieve from the super fast-paced rhythm that is the signature Combat Crisis sound and the band slows it down just a millimeter. The vocals are actually intelligible for most of this piece and the listener can get a better appreciation for talent that this band harbors.

The guys take a 17-second untitled break (track 7) in between songs as the band members record themselves being themselves, which is oddly endearing. The album marches onward with “Listen Up,” a masterful minute-long track with some of the best instrumentation on the album yet, especially the guitar work and the drums. Combat Crisis continues in this vein with the fantastic opening of “40 CCs.” Loud, melodious guitar work sets the pace for what is perhaps the best track on Face The Crowd. “40 CCs” is about living life to the extreme as Elisha and the boys sing, “I would take control of my own future, but you don’t get a second chance. Once you’re gone, that’s the end.”

“Not Afraid” is up next and the message of this piece is clear and brazen; revolt and rejection of society and the hypocritical standards that much of it lives by. In addition to extremely thought provoking lyrics, the music itself is extraordinary as the band traverses down a slightly different avenue of punk music. It’s refreshing to hear that Combat Crisis has the ability to change up their delivery ever so slightly as they slow down the tempo mid-song and add some exceptional guitar riffs before jumping back into their comfort zone of thrash punk. “Misled” gives the listener a taste of some truly screaming guitar as the band reverts back to more of the same – lyrics shouted with anger and rage and the distinct edge that Combat Crisis has cultivated during their careers. However, “Misled” is vastly different from anything heard on Face The Crowd yet. Each member gets a chance to contribute to this piece and the listener is now, perhaps belatedly, realizing that this band truly has a diverse range of influences and an exceptionally distinct sound that does indeed vary from track to track.

The title piece, “Face The Crowd,” hits hard and touches on the issue of war and how pointless it is. “Lives were lost – it’s the ultimate cost for greed and power, but what’s left is a nation with enemies – and for what?” This is a powerful track with a message that should be heard; however, the uninitiated may have a hard time deciphering what is being sung. The delivery is fast, as is the case with most of the tracks on the album and the punk genre in general, which is a shame. Combat Crisis does indeed have a message in their music, but one would not know what it is without actually reading the lyrics. “Out of Luck” and “Nothing To Lose” follow in this pattern as the album winds to a close. The last two tracks seem to merge together to form one continuous song that ends the album with a bang. Combat Crisis closes with a message of fearlessness in the face of diversity and the ideology that there should be no regrets in life and that it should be lived in the best possible way, whatever way that you deem fit. This vicious band of punks has indeed brought forth their message and they have done it loudly and brashly, which is the ONLY way to do it.

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