No Other Way CD Review
Punk has evolved into many facets over the past few years. It now ranges from the angst filled music of bands such as Bad Religion, to the bubbly pop sound of Blink 182. There can be a huge discussion, and essentially a huge debate, as to what real punk is. We won’t go into that at this moment, but in my opinion, writing the music that is true to the band is what makes them pure to their art, be it punk or whatever genre you categorize it. “No Other Way” is a perfect example of the modern punk that dwells in our society.
In 2002, No Other Way was formed in a not so little town of Ottawa, Ontario. This four piece band consists of Sean Laframboise, the backbone of the rhythm section, with Justin Jarvo accompanying him on bass, and brothers Sammy and Luke Welland providing the fast paced riffs and melodic vocals respectively. Performing with bands such as Alexisonfire, Death by Stereo, and Protest the Hero, this foursome has gained the experience needed to have a great live performance. After recording and selling out their first self-titled EP, “NOW” set out to record their second independent album. In April 2006, “The Horror” was released and in no time, the boys were on the road for promotional duties. Touring in a van across Canada and the U.S., “NOW” has accumulated over 100 shows in 6 1/2 months of intense touring. This approachable, self-promoting band has turned heads around North America, and is set do the same in Europe.
“The Horror” begins with the track titled “No Running from This Disease,” which is essentially criticizing our consumerist society. With the melodic vocals and scream-o tendencies, combined with fast pace punk rock instrumentals, this song epitomizes the new era of rock. “Hollywood Horror Show,” which was another song that stuck out for me, continued along the same theme of our corrupt and materialistic society. The darkness of this song exudes from the lyrics, and is a reminder to us that perfection should not always be in accordance with what we see in the media. “Shred the Gnar”, to me, is an epic song, even though it is just over a minute long. I can already imagine the kids in the audience, head banging to the double kicker. For those who can’t get enough of this new punk metal genre, then “The Horror” is a must buy.
For more information on “No Other Way,” regarding tour information and music sampling, feel free to visit their myspace (NOW) as well as their website (WAY).