Review Summary: 2009's latest reason to dust off your record player.
Paint it Black should need no introduction, but since I'm sure that there are some folks out there that aren't up to date on the pantheon of gods residing on punk rock's Mount Olympus let me explain. Formed by the legendary Dan Yemin, the guitarist for the seminal 90's melodic hardcore acts Lifetime and Kid Dynamite, Paint it Black have spent the last decade churning out grade-A punk records, most notably 2005's
Paradise.
Earlier this year Paint it Black announced their plans to forgo a new full-length in favor of releasing nine songs over two seven-inches.
Surrender is the second of these seven-inch releases. Offering four songs in six minutes, the Kurt Ballou produced
Surrender is an abrasive blast of punk that fully embraces the sound of classic Dischord albums. The opening track "Sacred" lulls you in to a false sense of security with it's triumphant chorus, sounding like Yemin's prior acts, but as soon as the sludgy wall of bass that is "Worms" hits, it is clear that
Surrender is a much more pissed off entity. The EP reaches its best on its eponymous closer. Yemin's snarling vocals tear through the sprinting drums, caustic guitar work, and rumbling bass-lines like an enraged bear tearing a deer to shreds.
Surrender is the epitome of short and sweet. With only four months left in 2009, it seems unlikely that the year will produce a better punk record than
Surrender.