Lagwagon

Duh distinguishes itself from the rest of Lagwagon's reissues with a bit of added context: it's their first album. That means that the usual collection of similar-sounding demos comes with an added look into the band's beginnings. In the case of this two-disc set, that taste comes with a bundle of Section 8 songs ― demos from Joey Cape and Chris Flippin's pre-Lagwagon, politically inspired-metal band. In some cases, these songs are familiar, in others, such as on the tracks collected from their first demo, Cape's trademark tone is accompanied by a surprisingly thrash-y sound. It's far from pretty, but these bonuses are the best reason for seeking out an album about to hit its 20th anniversary. As for the original Duh, the songs still hit the same sweet spot between melody and gruff they did two decades ago, but then that's probably a given.