Fear of a Punk Planet
is possibly the definitive
Vandals
release. There are the covers of corny
pop
songs (
"Summer Lovin'"
from the
Grease
soundtrack and
the Beach Boys
'
"Kokomo"
) played at maximum velocity and with sneering, snotty vocals. There are the supremely silly lyrics (
"Join Us for Pong,"
"The Day Farrah Fawcett Died"
). There are the amped-up, speedy songs. What puts
the Vandals
over is, believe it or not, the musicianship. Unlike most other
punk
outfits, the band, especially ace drummer
Josh Freese
, is tight and focused. They even attempt
Iron Maiden
-style
metal
on
"Small Wonder"
and pull it off. Even if the constant juvenile humor grates after a while,
are still more composed and entertaining than most.
may be just a well-played
album, but for gloriously un-PC
fun, it's difficult to do better. ~ Victor W. Valdivia