Tooth and Nail. This album was recorded and produced by Bill Stevenson (Descendents/All) at his studio in Colorado. This is the Orange County, CA band's third full length release for Tooth and Nail Records.
Disappointment is one word the comes to mind when I think of this album. Slick Shoes is a new school punk band, that is known for its extremely fast drumming, quick and intricate guitar solos as well as tight guitar melodies, and their young improving vocalist. With exception for the impressive vocals of Ryan Kepke, this album just doesn't fully showcase their immense talent; losing your lead guitarist may do that to a band. Their new guitarist Greg Towawa does a decent job at filling the void of their lead guitarist. He adds some nice melodies, but he just doesn't complement them with the smooth solos that Slick Shoes fans are so used to hearing. Also, with their more melodic sound Joe Nixon doesn't get to fully show what he's capable of doing on the drums. As I've said before, Ryan's voice hasn't sounded better. Some highlights on this album are "Angel", "Peace of Mind", and "Hide and Seek". Please don't take this the wrong way, this is a solid album with some really good sounds coming from it, it's just that their sound has taken a slight unexpected turn which may not be for the best. This album is still worth picking up for a good listen.
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Other coverage for this album
ReAL Magazine 2000Reviewed by Jesse N.Why wouldn't a person like punk rock music? Because of the monotony of the super-fast off-beats typical of that genre of music? Possibly because of the lack of cool guitar riffs and abundance of power chords? Or maybe they just expect punk rock to have bad vocals and lyrics full of angst and hatred. Many people have come to expect very little from punk bands, including myself, but occasionally a…Bandoppler 2000Reviewed by Earl CampbellThe most apt description of this album, the third full-length by SoCal's Melodic Punk darlings, was stated earlier today by a local scene queen. "Just sounds like more Slick Shoes to me." Simplistic, but right on the nose. If you are not familiar with the group, Slick Shoes is known for tight melodies, youthful yet smooth vocals, creative guitar work, and speedy deliveries; and to a certain…Art for the Ears 2000Reviewed by Marco PovervestThis is the fourth CD-release of this pop-punk band. I don't know their previous albums so I can't compare. The only Slick Shoes song I've heard before is Last which appeared on the first Songs Of The Penalty Box sampler. At that time I liked the song really much. On Wake Up Screaming this band plays punk rock in the vein of MxPx. Vocally the similarities are clear. But I wouldn't go as far as to…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Michial FarmerSo what's the deal with Tooth and Nail Records and MxPx soundalikes lately? They've recently signed seemingly thousands of punk bands, and with a few exceptions (The Deadlines, Off the Record), all of them seem to be trying to sound just like Mike Herrera and company. And now Slick Shoes, a band that already has two fairly original albums under its belt, comes out with Wake Up Screaming, perhaps…Similar sounding releases
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