The ninth volume of this longstanding compilation series is a comprehensive cross-section of the artists on
Epitaph and its associated labels
Hellcat and
Rhymesayers. Kicking off with
Bad Religion's fold-returning
"Social Suicide," the set breaks up the
emocore chokehold of nameplates like
From First to Last,
Matchbook Romance, and
Scatter the Ashes with
hip-hop from
Atmosphere (
"The Keys to Life vs. 15 Minutes of Fame") and the rousing
punk revivalism of
Rancid and
Dropkick Murphys. (The latter's fun, bawdy duet
"The Dirty Glass" is a collection highlight.)
Scatter the Ashes and
Refused offer technical, visceral takes on the
post-hardcore aesthetic, while solid contributions from
Nekromantix,
Tiger Army, and
HorrorPops point uninitiated cherries toward the
psychobilly funhouse. The majority of
Punk-O-Rama, Vol. 9 is culled from current releases; however, there is an unreleased live track from
Death By Stereo, as well as
Hot Water Music's
"Seein' Diamonds," a melodic
Jawbreaker-type number seeing its first domestic issue. Fans of
Dillinger Escape Plan vocalist
Greg Puciato who may have missed
Error, his
industrial dalliance with
Brett Gurewitz and assorted pals, will enjoy the wack
KMFDM smack of
"Burn in Hell," and
Eyedea & Abilities'
"Now" helps close the set with rapid
raps and cut-up
OutKast-ian rhythms. [
Punk-O-Rama, Vol. 9 also packed a DVD with video content from many of its musical contributors, as well as acts like
Randy and
Converge.] ~ Johnny Loftus
