Review Summary: Sink to the Top is a no-bullshit punk record.
The Bare Minimum is a no-bull*** punk band from Toronto. Much like the albums of Doomriders, The Bare Minimum’s latest LP, Sink to the Top, reminds us that rock ’n’ roll should be fun, first and foremost. Sink to the Top has political moments, but, at the end of the day, the record is just balls-out punk rock.
“Loaded Dice” blasts out of the gate with manic riffs, truck stop yells, and caffeinated drumming. It’s the musical version of Tony Trujillo shredding a concrete bowl. When you listen, just make sure there are no breakables in the room, because it will make you want to tear *** up. “Last Call” combines that skate punk snarl with Iron Maiden-worshipping guitar harmonies. “Garbage Lungs” delves even deeper into a Hessian-infested den. The song stomps with an old-school groove, sounding like a gang of inhalant-huffing punks playing a cover of Dio’s “Holy Diver.”
Fifth song “Conspiracy” hits on the overwhelming sense of distrust that has come to define modern politics for so many of us. But the track also has the anthemic feel of Bouncing Souls at its catchiest. The following two songs return to blistering thrash punk, setting up a contrast for the raw sincerity of “Please Sir, I want Some More,” which laments the emotional bankruptcy that accompanies a life of middle-class complacence.
Sink to the Top starts to draw to a close with “Felt Like An Actor,” a punk epic with a western tinge. The LP then ends on the somber “History is Small.” Like Lucero’s proud and drunken country ballads, “History is Small” is prime for group sing-a-longs as well as those gray mornings when you can’t help but to think about everything you’ve ***ed up in your life.
The LP gets dragged down a bit by having a few too many songs, but Sink to the Top is still a must-listen for fans of early Coliseum and the skate-thrash wave of the mid-2000s.
