Carpenter Ant
"I Still Have the Drive"
LP (yellow vinyl), Doppelganger, 2004
Carpenter Ant play angry skatecore hardcore that is in no way afraid of adding noise, metal and other elements into their music. Yeah, this isn't straight up thrash and mosh, far more creative thought went into these songs. "Addiction" is still one of my all time favorite songs. The group vocals are timely, forceful and damn energetic. The rest of the tracks on the LP place "I Still Have the Drive" in the ranks of one of the best Lehigh Valley (local to me) Pennsylvania records. The angry phone message before "Get A Grip" is a classic. The feeling of the title "I Still Have the Drive" and the skateboard themes carry through as inspiration for anyone with passion. If you've smashed a knee into the hurdles of life, you'll appreciate a track like "Dairy Queen is Not A Meal" even though they are talking skateboard injuries. The Carpenter Ant live experience is also highly suggested.
Carpenter Ant
"Get Over It"
LP (green / white swirl vinyl) & CD, Doppelganger, 2006
Oddly enough, listening to Carpenter Ant's (members of R.A.M.B.O. and Pissed Jeans) new LP/CD, I now understand why so many skaters over the years have listed Black Flag as an inspiration. Obviously Blast! captured it way back when, but on Carpenter Ant's latest, that undefinable chaos is captured, possibly better than it has since that 1987 classic with the appropriate title, "It's In My Blood". "Get Over It" is the type of hardcore that demands the listener become one with the energy. You can't read a book while listening to this record. You'll be lucky to be able to drive! This record grabs that mid 80s ferocity that bands like Poison Idea, Raw Power and CCM were so good at doing. This record teeters on the edge of musical chaos. I love the guitarwork and I love the ferociousness of the entire record.
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