PETER118- Anthology & Live in LA
Peter118 is a British punk band comprised of two guys and two girls. Vocalist Peter sang in a mainstream punk band until his salvation in 2005, and he focuses his ministry in the same subculture that he came from. The band performs pop punk, but before you tune me out, they employ some rocking guitar licks with singable hooks, just to prove they're not the bubble gum pop ilk. Songs like "Radio," "Break 'Em Out," and "United We Stand" will have you singing along their catchy choruses even on the first listen. The first disc in this double disc set is called Anthology, and I would have to guess that the material was pieced together from different releases, based on style differences between some of the songs. In "We Don't Need It" the electric guitars are dropped for acoustic. There's two different versions of "Need You More"- one with a guest singer. "Where I Am" could almost be a Ramones song, if not for the female BGV's that sound a bit like Skillet's drummer Jen. "Make Up My Mind" returns to acoustic guitars with a memorable song. "Follow Him" has a bit of the snotty attitude that one might expect from punk rock. Now call me biased as a headbanger, but the most promising song on the album is "Wasted," which conjures up shades of hardcore punk legends The Lead, at least until the chorus.
Disc two is a live recording of a show Peter118 did in L.A. at a house show. Yes, all the songs played are also on disc one, and no, the bands' live songs aren't significantly different from their studio ones, but it's a nice bonus. Overall, this two disc set is a nice introduction to a pop punk band that's relatively unknown on this side of the Pond. Based on the song "Wasted," if Peter118 ratchets up the speed and angst, they just turn the heads of some of our jaded metalhead readers. 3.5 out of 5 stars (Raven Faith Records)
