Yeaaahhhhh....Mark Salomon is singing punk again (this is his side project; Stavesacre is still his main priority)! Punk fans should be seriously stoked...no, this isn't the Crucified reborn, although the vocals obviously bear a strong resemblance--kind of a mix between the frantic full-speed cries of the first Crucified album and the slightly slower, deeper lungs of Pillars. Old school punk (Social Distortion, Minor Threat, the Blamed) is the name of the game, and the guys provide a powerful, percussive bed of muscular punk rawk for Mark's voice to roll with. This album pumps me up, man. Each instrument exudes energy...thick, jangly bass jumpin', skins pounded out, guitars strummed full-throttle.
Mark powerfully examines a range of topics, but I noticed recurring themes of finding joy in adverse circumstances, and acknowledging differences in people's lives:
I'll walk the narrow road
and there's a whole lot more to go.
Hope yours is filled with sunshine
but now it's not my world
It's not my place
And that's all right
Abundant life...to me, the joy is to survive....
joy is to surviiiivvvve.
(from "It Must Be Wonderful")
4.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
7ball #17Reviewed by Brad CavinessAs if a full-time schedule with one band wasn't enough, Stavesacre's Mark Saloman offers Outer Circle, a new side project (with a new group of musicians) that takes a new look at Saloman's old school punk roots. Where Stavesacre melds elements of punk, alternative and hard rock, Outer Circle plays pure, unadulterated, no-frills, a-four-count-and-three-chords punk rock. Indeed Outer Circle rarely…Similar sounding releases
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