Pennywise - Reason To Believe review
| Band: | Pennywise |
| Album: | Reason To Believe |
| Style: | Melodic hardcore, Punk rock |
| Release date: | March 2008 |
01. (Intro) As Long As We Can
02. One Reason
03. Faith and Hope
04. Something to Live For
05. All We Need
06. The Western World
07. We'll Never Know
08. Confusion
09. Nothing to Lose
10. It's Not Enough to Believe
11. You Get the Life You Choose
12. Affliction
13. Brag, Exaggerate & Lie
14. Die for You
15. Next in Line
16. One Nation
17. Just One More Day
Pennywise was always the dark horse of 90s melodic "pop" hardcore and this is because unlike most bands of their ilk, their convictions always seemed genuine. Sure, they played in roughly the same style as Green Day or The Offspring (not to mention the pioneers NOFX and Bad Religion); however, their lyrics were always a stout rebellion against the gritty reality of the modern world and their music, being faster and more metallic than the genre norm, put them closer to NYHC crossover stalwarts such as Sick Of It All or Agnostic Front in terms of credibility. Since their sound hasn't really evolved much over the years, it was always the attitude that was most important in a Pennywise record. For this reason, Reason To Believe is one of the band's most important releases, and maybe one of the two that most people should certainly hear.
The difference in attitude is not immediately obvious, but becomes noticeable with multiple listens. The band is still sloganeering and ranting their way through the barrage of aggressive hardcore punk; however, for the first time ever, the dark shadow of the futility of it all rears its ugly head and makes everything exponentially more interesting. Pennywise are fighting a lost battle, and they know it - the commercial peak of the music that they and their peers practised in the 90s is long gone, with fellow bands either completely selling out or falling apart. Their adolescent but literate anger has been made into a commodity marketed by Hot Topic - the monster has easily consumed and assimilated all but one regiment of the anti-conformist army - Pennywise. They unleash the most aggressive and vicious array of hyperactive hardcore yet - "It's Not Enough To Believe", "One Reason" or "You Get The Life You Choose" all rip along at a breakneck speed, together with thrashy crossover riffs and gang shout refrains, with the remaining songs generally matching or at least approaching this intensity. The music is catchy as hell; however, the band knows that it will no longer speak to anyone.
Reason To Believe sounds like the last stand of a few brave soldiers about to lose a war. The album is obviously an attempt at finding that eponymous nexus of meaning. That the band fails at this with the record is both an epitaph to what the genre could stand for and perhaps its last brilliant product.
 | Written on 29.05.2008 by With Metal Storm since 2002, jupitreas has been subjecting the masses to his reviews for quite a while now. He lives in Warsaw, Poland, where he does his best to avoid prosecution for being so cool. |
Comments
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Comments: 40
Visited by: 131 users
| Samael Posts: 17  |
What the hell is Pennywise doing here? This is a METAL site, why not covering pop and electro at this point?
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| Murder Posts: 255  |
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| Deadsoulman Elite Posts: 8004  |
Alright, there's a third way to say it. Which of you will find it? Anyone? Huh?
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| dancingdecember Posts: 264  |
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| Glabrezu Posts: 107  |
Hey I love Pennywise but I didn't expect a review of them here xD!! FUCK AUTHORITY!!!
---- Exploring life Without fear without feeling I am one with my torment And forever blind
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| Herzebeth Posts: 5537  |
^ LOL...if you read those last two posts as a nice litlle sequence is really hilarious
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| iaberis Advice Troll Posts: 1698  |
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| Talvi Posts: 825  |
Me want to try. OH SHIT IT'S POP! STAY AWAY! Wait... how can crossover be pop? WTF is people saying?
---- My account on other musical pages: http://www.last.fm/user/Pozito/ http://rateyourmusic.com/~Talvi
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| Thryce Retired Staff Elite Posts: 4346  |
Hate to interrupt the moron/douchebag gathering here, but unlike some of you, I want to add a constructive comment for a change. Your review made me listen to the songs on their MySpace. The last time I listenend to this band was years ago actually. I never really got into this band (and I will never have the intention to either), and I only know a couple of their songs by name. Still, I already saw Pennywise live, once in 2003 and once in 2005, both times on a festival. And I must say they are a nice festival recommendation. They really are a fun band to experience, as there's always a lot of enjoyment and atmosphere in the air when Pennywise is playing. They're certainly not the best live band, but the atmosphere on their shows is really sweet. Thanks for bringing back some teenage/festival memories.
---- Your favorite band sucks.
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| Herzebeth Posts: 5537 |
Besides...Pennywise IS NOT PUNK!!! They are happy punk at best, he even mentions Green Day and The Offspring there 
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| Thryce Retired Staff Elite Posts: 4346 |
Written by Guest on 31.05.2008 at 19:30 Never said something anywhere near that. Don't know why you think I would think that. Written by Guest on 31.05.2008 at 19:30 Good for you. Good for you. Pennywise aren't really Punk though. Punk-influenced Hardcore, not Punk. Written by Guest on 31.05.2008 at 19:30 What's so fucking wrong about it anyway? People with an agressive and elitistic attitude are what's fucking wrong on Metal Storm, period.
---- Your favorite band sucks.
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| LeChron James Helvetesfossen Posts: 3561  |
Written by Murder on 30.05.2008 at 18:52 i second that. if Van Halen doesnt have a profile on this site, then a review of Pennywise is uncalled for
---- Kick Ass, Die Young Less is More Stay Pure Stay Poor Music was my life, music brought me to life and music is how I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die there will be a final waltz in my head that only I can hear.
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
stop the whining... Metalstorm does not limit itself to metal only. Anything that is loud and could well be appreciated by the readers will and should be reviewed here.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Promonex Cathemeral Elite Posts: 9720  |
Quote: That's what jupitreas, the author of this review, wrote in the introduction of his review on a :wumpscut: record which happens to be even further away from metal than Pennywise. Back then in 2004 he received only praise for such an approach. I don't understand why this should be any different four years later. If you don't like alternative styles on this site out of fear Metal Storm might "sell out", tough luck, but that's what has been done for the past few years already even before your time on this site. There have always been elitists on this site and the reviewers (jupitreas in particular) have never given a fuck. This is a site not exclusively about metal after all, but for everything metalheads might like instead. If you don't like it, whine as much as you want, it won't change a thing anyway. @FU: We HAVE added and reviewed nu metal bands already. Seeing as you still are a member of this site indicates that you either have never noticed or have never cared. Why should you now?
---- All life begins with Nu and ends with Nu... This is the truth! This is my belief! ...At least for now. - The Mystery of Life, Vol. 841 Ch. 26
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Guest on 01.06.2008 at 18:48 Those bands ARE reviewed as well... Some nu-metal bands are added (same for metalcore) And those nu-metal & metalcore bands are metal so I don't see the reason behind not reviewing them here at all. Of course that is, unless you want to come across as being so true to old school metal and are afraid of the daylight and current metal scene once ytou crawl from under the rock you having been living under for most of your lives.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by Guest on 01.06.2008 at 19:03 If you don't like it, fine. And if you really can't stand what we're doing fine as well, just leave then. It's not like we're hholding you captive.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Herzebeth Posts: 5537 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 01.06.2008 at 18:38 WHaaa?!?!?! then why in hell can't I review The Doors, The Beatles, Jimmy Hendrix, The Animals, Sigur Ros, etc.?? When I did the Doors people made me promise not to do it again lol... In other cases someone who feels like he wants to review an Infected Mushroom CD is free to do it? they are as loud as hell so why won't they right? I'm sorry Marcel but your statement is total bull...*
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| jupitreas hi-fi / lo-life Staff Posts: 6659  |
Its not like Pennywise will be added as a featured band to this site. Their music, while not technically metal, it nevertheless metallic enough to easily deserve to be REVIEWED here. As mentioned in the review, some moments on this album match the kind of intensity Sick Of It All and other crossover bands, which makes it an album that metal fans MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN. Metal Storm has always been about expanding musical tastes and while you might not personally like hardcore punk, some albums from the style (as well as rapcore, EBM, industrial, gothic etc.) can be reviewed here because they are music that metal fans might like. I dont understand why Pennywise in particular is getting all this flak in the comments when bands like Hocico have also been reviewed and nobody complained. Hocico are as much not-metal as Pennywise are, but they can be appealing to metal fans. Thats all there is to it really...
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| Herzebeth Posts: 5537 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 01.06.2008 at 19:07 The thing is...Us being Staff we actually need to create a nice and friendly atmosphere, but it seems like if someone dislikes what you said you go ahead and bash them in the face....we are not holding them captive, but we are not providing a nice environment neither dude...
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| jupitreas hi-fi / lo-life Staff Posts: 6659 |
Written by Guest on 02.06.2008 at 16:14 The general rule of thumb, at least for me, is that if a non-metal group features prominent elements of metal in their music, they deserve to be reviewed here. Therefore, a band like Frontline Assembly, with their many songs that feature metal riffs, definitely deserve to be reviewed, as does Pennywise, with their crossover leanings and thrashy riffs. Reviewing something that is only arbitrarily connected to metal, such as Death In June for example, which definitely matches metal in terms of intensity and volume, is a more difficult issue and I would personally not go as far as including reviews of such bands on Metal Storm (if a reviewer really wants to write about it, they can use the blogs). Pennywise has CLEAR metal elements though, which is why the whole discussion in the comments to this review makes no sense at all to me.
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| jadawal Posts: 241  |
Who cares people, if you don't like the review or the music, then don't read or listen to it. It's as simple as that. Jupitreas has a point: there is metal elements within Pennywise music. I think of this the same as people who love and only love hard death metal, and hate power metal because it's "gay". If the vocalist of Pennywise screamed and growled more it would be alright wouldn't it?
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