Pennywise - All Or Nothing
Pennywise make a triumphant return with their tenth album All Or Nothing.
Since their last album was released in 2008, front man Jim Lindberg left the band, and underground punk hero Zoli Teglas has stepped in as Pennywise's front man. All Or Nothing is instantly recognisable as Pennywise, it has a classic punk rock sound and is solid from start to finish.
Teglas' voice is strong, powerful and he seems to put a lot more emotion into his singing, and he definitely has more range than Lindberg. All Or Nothing is full of big riffs and catchy choruses, which are guaranteed to have you singing along.
Stand Strong is a stand out track, it's instantly catchy, fast paced and is home to some fantastic punk drumming. It actually has a bit of an Anti-Flag feel to it. Pennywise are known for having a political view, and Let Us Hear Your Voice sees them airing it, but it doesn't sound like a track you've heard 100 times over in their 24 year career; it's fresh and new.
While this sounds very much like Pennywise musically, there does appear to be some new ideas and inspiration on this release, which should keep the critics who claimed the new line-up to be like 'Pennywise karaoke' quiet. All Or Nothing is like a stamp of authority on all those who doubted their ability to continue to make 'good' music.
After losing their vocalist and one of their influential songwriters this album could have gone either way, luckily for Pennywise and their fans, it is fantastic. I'm unsure how much song writing input Teglas had on All Or Nothing but judging by this album, he fits in perfectly with the Pennywise boys.