Well past Easter The Blamed comes up with Give Us Barabbas. More than a year ago I saw them live and the only impression that I got was that it was a lot of senseless noise with layers of screams. This recording gives me a different idea of the same band and this is also different from what I know from their punk rock days when they were one of the first bands on Tooth & Nail Records. Give Us Barabbas is, according to the bio, "a true post-punk triumph". This is sort of a mix of good old punk with sophisticated rock 'n roll. It definitely doesn't carry the simplicity of a lot of bands who are currently going back to the roots of rock 'n roll. The question is, however, whether that's to be applauded. I guess it depends on taste. What to one seems to be a high form of creativity might be pure frenzy to someone else. You can't argue one's taste. There's nothing poppy about this music nor does it feature any choruses that could have made it easier to swallow. It's raw stuff with various influences from punk, emo and hardcore but without the speediness that characterizes some of these sources. The recording is good and contains various good moments though I'm personally not impressed. Matter of taste.
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis June 2002Reviewed by Matt ModrichThe Blamed has changed a lot since their early Tooth and Nail releases "21" and "Frail." With Brian Gray as the only original member, The Blamed is now back on Tooth and Nail with their new sound and their new record "Give Us Barabbas." It's hard to describe "Give Us Barabbas" because it combines elements of hardcore, punk and emocore. There are also subtle allusions to Blenderhead's first album…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by John WilsonThe Blamed's latest, Give Us Barabbas, is an exercise in controlled chaos. The general recipe includes darkly obscure, almost free-verse lyrics that Matt Switaj yells over a blend of grinding guitars and reckless drum pounding. There is a method to the Blamed's madness, but it's indistinguishable underneath Switaj's grating vocal attack. He's not singing, not screaming, but barking out rough…The Phantom Tollbooth 2002Reviewed by Trilisa M. PerrineGive Us Barabbas, the latest album from The Blamed, takes its title from one of the darkest moments in human history -- the moment when men and women screamed for the release of a condemned murderer over that of Christ. As one might expect, this album is dark, the guitars are screeching, and the vocals are near a scream. At first listen, the sound was intriguing, but after hearing a number of…Similar sounding releases
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