Static Thought

Although the comparisons to label mates/scene parents Rancid are inevitable, there is an air of toughness that permeates the majority of Static Thought’s In The Trenches that isn’t found with their cohorts. This is in direct correlation to the band’s credo of opposing how saturated the punk scene has become with poppiness, yet songs such as "Drug Of My Mind” and "Dead And Gone” certainly have hooks. Too bad these have been pilfered from the same sandbox played in by their mentors some 15 years prior. Overall, the album has a decided gruffness to it that ensures that the majority of these 13 tracks maintain the imposing stance of Motörhead while still appealing to anyone draped in studs and bondage pants. If anything, In The Trenches is a bridge in the gap between the accessibility of Tim Armstrong-penned tunes and Casualties-esque gutter anthems that should prove to grow stronger with time.