X Pistols Shoot to Kill
by Cyndi Jo
Staff Writer
The counterculture ideology of punk is an outcry into a vast chasm of a person’s poignant crap. The soundtrack to such matter would be an album that screams punk-rock adrenaline– in your face, audio assault– perhaps, created by a band that are out to challenge and obliterate the boundaries of such genre. Then, there’s the X Pistols: a band composed of members of legendary OC punk band D.I. and Daddy X and The Dirtball from the Kottonmouth Kings, that try too hard to make partying, police hating, and revolution conterversial. Although, this band does define much of what has been stated above, one thing is certain; they have created a debut album that is by far more of a joke than anything punk-rock.
Shoot to Kill presses down on the throttle and triggers guitar riffs that are ultra generic, with vocals that are horrendously bad, not to mention the lack of creativity in the lyrics that would probably make Mike Ness want to pack and head back to Massachusetts. It’d be very surprising if anyone listens to this debut in its entirety, nonetheless, without thinking that Insane Clown Posse has a punk side project.
Beginning with “P in the Punk,” a slow, transparent cry of a redundant anthem is introduced and by a minute and a half into the song, the first shot of the album is fired into a catchy, amateur background. Lyrically, the album includes the least profound and most inappropriate metaphors that even most rap artist don’t use. Even though, punk is about anarchy revolution, the message about shooting children in the video for first single and self-titled, “Shoot to Kill,” is by far not suitable by any means, and totally misleads the song.
Most of the songs have the same backbeat and annoying “gangsta-rap” flow until “Dragging Me Down.” The song, which is reminiscent of a Warped Tour, cummer pop/punk, Good Charlotte-inspired tune, it for once takes a break from the awful angst “rap” chants–oh yeah, and the gun shooting, name introducing, unnecessary material that appear on most of the songs. Seriously, the X Pistols remind a listener of what they are about to listen to in every song to make sure their name is burned inside one’s head forever.
“Love and Tragedy” takes the same slow pace. It seems like they’ve been added to slow down the very long album, and give it more credibility because every punk album need more than 15 songs, right?
Overall, for those fans of the Kottonmouth Kings and the long forgotten Long Beach Dub All-Stars, Shoot to Kill is an interesting album to say the least. For new listeners, prepare for an epic fail.
Label: Suburban Noize
Web site: www.xpistols.com
Band: Daddy X, and The Dirtball
Track Listing:
1. P In the Punk
2. Wild Side
3. Beware
4. Suffocation
5. Let the Haters Hate
6. Shoot To Kill
7. Unplug
8. 1 Foot In the Grave
9. Showdown
10. Here We Go
11. Trapped In a Maze
12. American Freedom
13. I Hate Pigs
14. Livin’ By the Gun
15. Lights Out
16. Draggin’ Me Down
17. Love and Tragedy
18. Lock Load Fight Win
Hardrock Haven rating: 5/10