Blue Collar Product deserve credit if only for having a clock on their MySpace page that counts down to the final day of the second Bush presidency. On their recently released three-song Addict EP, however, they back that up with the aggressive and engaging “Death in Disguise,” an indictment not only of the Bush Administration’s needless march to war in Iraq, but also a fully realized conspiracy theory about Bush and company manufacturing the events of September 11.
“The question was raised if it was possible/The question is rhetorical,” argues lead vocalist Eric Delage, here bringing his normal near-scream to a spoken-word delivery. “Check the facts,” he urges, and then enters into a discussion of how long the first tower took to collapse and the burning points of steel and airplane fuel. Whether you go in for the official party line, the conspiracy, or something in between, it’s hard to argue with this sentiment: “Without questions, you have no answers.”
Questioning authority seemed to have gone out of style in the rock world, but maybe we should thank W for bringing it back. BCP’s 2005 effort, Pledge of Resistance, wasn’t too shabby in this respect, either.
It also seems as though hardcore has stepped back from pushing the loudness envelope and settled into a place where melody and pop influences can show their faces. With production here from Biohazard’s Billy Graziadei, we are introduced early in the title track to a soaring guitar line from Rick Berube, quickly replaced by a rolling bass and drum foundation from the rhythm section of Brendan McVeigh and Matt Delage. Vocals that start low in the mix rise to the surface as the band play with the time signature and toy with your heart rate.
In the closing “Our Pride,” a thrumming bass introduces a very straight punk drum line, and classic punk gang vocals of “fight, fight, fight” are later contrasted with an “ohh, oh, oh” pop backing vocal. The guitar break is more surf than hardcore, and the band finish the song’s first movement with a ton of major key emotion. Then comes that bass again, this time ushering in an aggressive rap: “We won’t stop until we’re fucking dead and gone.”
By all means, keep going.
Hallowbash 12 | at Mulligans, in Biddeford | with Blue Collar Product + Hour Past + Twisted Roots + Window Pain + Q + Mindset X | Oct 20
On the Web
Blue Collar Product:
www.myspace.com/bluecollarproduct