Album Review: Peace'd Out - Peace'd Out EP

Album Review: Peace’d Out – Peace’d Out EP

To say this came as a surprise would be an understatement. Considering the talents on display of Vinnie Caruana (The Movielife, I Am The Avalanche) and Steve Choi (RX Bandits) alongside an all-star rhythm section (containing members of The Velvet Teen and No Motiv), you’d expect something maybe approaching normality and sanity, but this is truly deranged. This comes at you like a caged tiger mauling your face off, or a pack of rabid pitbulls jumping up to tear your gonads clean off.

The EP begins with ‘Castlemania’ (presumably a pun on the ancient Konami platformer video-game), a direct genetic fusion of The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Mars Volta. Just look at those last comparisons once again; Vinnie C’s outings to date have combined the very best elements of pop-punk and punk rock, yet here he is marrying brutal, technical riffs to funky, progressive experimentation, and the result is just outstanding.

This kind of oddity is nothing new to Choi or his bandmates – the rest of RX Bandits have had an ongoing ensemble called The Sound Of Animals Fighting for years, which trade in solely grandiose statements. Where TSOAF mostly falter and stumble though, this roars and rampages and overloads the senses, like being at ten parties at once. The band describe themselves as “space mosh”, probably the most ridiculous yet accurate handle you can think of for this onslaught. This never falls short for ideas; it’s hard to pick a record highlight, such is its consistent quality.

The most disappointing thing about this release is that it ends – you can’t help but wonder if this sort of energy can be sustained over the course of a full-length, but for now this will blast your head clean off. An astonishing and completely unexpected effort, this may have come too late in the calendar to come under consideration for end-of-year lists, but is so much more than a mere “side-project”. Watch Peace’d Out‘s every move in 2013.

4.5/5

‘Peace’d Out’ by Peace’d Out is out now on Sound The Siren.