Squad Five-O

Item: Squad Five-O
Author: Luke Harlow

(2002)

Reviewed by Luke Harlow

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Label Tooth & Nail RecordsDecapolisMarch 2002

hard rock punk

Squad Five-O are a five-piece rock and roll band whose members hail from Savannah, GA, Florida, and Philadelphia. This record is their fourth full-length and second for Tooth & Nail Records.

Very few would argue with the assertion that Squad Five-O plays one of the best live shows in music today. In terms of recorded material, however, the band has had a bit of trouble capturing that same energy and emotion. This release, however, comes pretty close. Opening with the anthemic "I Don't Want to Change the World, I Just Want to Change Your Mind," Squad offers up thirteen songs of rock and roll force.

For those unfamiliar with the band's history, Squad Five-O's first two albums, "What I Believe" and "Fight the System," were punk/ska efforts. Then, in a relatively drastic stylistic change, the band enlisted veteran rock and roll producer Duane Baron (known for Quiet Riot's "Metal Health") and released "Bombs Over Broadway" in 2000. While the band claims different motives and influences, the record was largely seen by listeners as an attempt to "go glam" with their style, and many people were unimpressed.

Where "Bombs Over Broadway" fell short, however, "Squad Five-O" succeeds. What sounded like a band trying too hard on "Bombs" comes naturally on "Squad Five-O." Overall, this record is much more punk rock, but still maintains a traditional rock and roll flair. The resulting sound harkens notions of bands like the New York Dolls, D Generation, Rolling Stones, and a host of more traditional punk/rock and roll albums. It contains some full-on rocking attacks in songs like "Piece of the Dream," "Turn It Up," "No Tomorrow," and "I Don't Want to Change the World...," and also becomes mellow and reflective on songs like "Crystal Coastline." Perhaps the best song on the record is "Underground Hearts," which opens and ends with a solitary acoustic guitar, and offers itself as a driving and relevant track.

In terms of specific strengths, one is the presence of a true lead guitarist in Kristopher Klein. Solos and catchy leads abound, and the general guitar work plays wonderfully off of the rest of the band. Lyrically, Jeff Forston and company are as strong as ever, in fact, the songwriting in general is another strong point. Each member of the band made a sizable contribution to the creation of each song, and the result is an album that will no doubt be one of the best of the year.