Review Summary: V.P.R.'s debut album is alright, but only tolerable for the first 3 listens.
Released in 2003, Aural Assault was V.P.R.’s debut album. In an intent to get their punk genre noticed, V.P.R. pretty much shoves their hardcore guitar riffed songs down the listeners throat whether they like it or not. I caught on all too quick after the twelfth song when it all started sounding the same. It’s like when you are full from eating and Satan himself keeps insisting that you eat more.
Although there is very little information about this band, what is known is that they created their band name simply by picking three random letters from the alphabet which, of course, made my internet search difficult when multiple articles from “Vermont Public Radio” kept coming up, but if you listen through the drunken slurs of lead singer Shawn, you hear him say “You can decide what V.P.R. means.” I won’t deny for a second that my friends and I tried coming up with provocative words to fill the lone standing V.P.R. But, whatever. I guess that’s a secret best kept by them.
Back in 2003, V.P.R. said in an interview that they were impressed by the way internet has changed music, but they still insist on handing out flyers and playing live in their hometown Washington D.C. as often as they can. They also claimed in the same interview that their influences come from Sick of It All. Again, not much information is available about them, but I do know that they played a reunion show in February 2010.
This album starts off with a girl directly addressing the audience talking about how it isn’t easy being a teenager. Her angst filled diary entry is rudely cut short by V.P.R. hard riff guitar entrance and Shawn’s shouts. The song is only 0:43 seconds, but gets me wondering what else is next. The ‘hardcore’ portion of V.P.R.’s punk rock is definitely that of their influences. The influence of Sick of It All is prevalent, as the guitars and drums seem to have a similar sound. Shawn’s chants, shouts, and rages are alike to Lou Kollers. Even though Aural Assault was released in 2003, they stay true to their “Sick” big brothers by attempting to keep punk rock alive. The track entitled “My Girlfriend turned into Lesbian” made me chuckle and is a good break from Shawn’s prior 3 tracks that raged about virtually the same thing: Betrayal, dishonesty, and hostility.
But coming to the main point I would say if you are looking for interesting musicality and originality, I would most definitely not recommend this album. The songs are extremely simple and pretty much never change key. If you go through each track, each start the same, and sound the exact same. To stray slightly from the negative, the skits that are placed between the monotonous songs are weird, but entertaining to say the least.
Fortunately there are some respectable songs. Much to my relief, the track “Sippy Time” provided for some different composition from V.P.R. even if it is just changes a little in the guitar and drums. The drums utilize more cymbals and it creates a dramatic lightness to the song. The guitar engages in simply chords that are more alike to pop punk bands. It is almost like taking a breath of fresh air after being stuck in a stuffy room. I feel this same type of relief in the track entitled “Dead Man’s City”. The same sort of lightness gives the end of the album a better feel. The end skit can be described in one word: “drunk”. Basically it evolves the band members singing a bar song for forty seconds, which is an ok ending for the album after complete hardcore punk rampages (with the same melodies) are left ringing in my ear.
I wish there was more from this album, but what can I expect from their first? The album art was fascinating and represented punk in a picturesque way, but like a cool boy once said “you don’t listen to the CD case”.
In turns of listening, I could listen to this album 5 times max till I got annoyed and brought out Bad Religion to relieve my pain with some originality.
