American Steel: American Steel

American Steel: American Steel

1998

New Disorder Records

Format I Own it On: Compact Disc

Track Listing:  1. Rotting  2. Long Day  3. Fargo  4. Cheer Up  5. Standstill  6. Huckleberry Flynn  7. Crashing Down  8. It's Too Bloody Anyway  9. Close Enough Away  10. Trust  11. Passerby  12. Three Cheers  13. Beat Down  14. Latchkey Kid  15. Decycling  16. Sloppy Fucking Drunk  17. Landmine Lullabye

This is the first album by Bay Area punk band American Steel. These guys pull off that cool old Crimpshrine trick of being rough as hell but never failing to hit you with a catchy chorus... And boy is this album rough;  Vocalist Rory Henderson sounds like Tim Armstrong vomiting, the tempos are out of control and the band sounds like they simultaneously can't keep up and  yet want to keep pushing it faster...Exciting stuff that's a lot more intense than any of their subsequent albums. You also get to hear a distinct ska influence that really only happens here. It's too bad ska kinda became the hair metal of the 90's...used sparingly, it was sometimes pretty cool...

I'd say the standout tracks here are the opener "Rotting" which has an awesome break where the music drops out and only the vocals and drums remain and they just speed up and speed up... Off the top of my head, I can't say I've heard anyone else try that trick before... "Cheer Up" would be a pop song, if it wasn't for the retching vocals and its sporadic outbursts of near-hardcore velocity...Later into their career, this band would tone things waaaaayyyy down, but for now this is prime stuff if you're into the crustier side of pop-punk...

And what sort of drink do you serve to your guests when you're playing American Steel's ramshackle debut at your next Friday Night Record Party?

Hey! Get those Zima's outta here! This isn't the Alkaline Trio "goddamnit" review...Zima won't play to the American Steel Crowd...Try again...

hmmm...Not a bad call  choosing a beer indigenous to the bay area... Still, that seems a little too high class for a gutter punk-themed party...How about...

YES!!!  Steel Reserve! Authentic, and you can also have your guests participate in a fun party game where they go out begging for change until they have the $2.50 to buy one....

Before we pound  these 40's  let's put on some American Steel, "Rotting." Enjoy...