War Called Home
Origins
Self-released (2013)
Sounds like: Tight, melodic punk from a “Fat” day gone by.
Score: 8/10
Do you miss bands like Good Riddance, Lagwagon, and No Use For a Name? Are dueling guitars, galloping drums, and harmonized vocals strangely absent from your life? In your humble opinion, is the Fat Wreck Chords back catalog filled with musical masterpieces?
If you checked “all of the above” regarding the previously stated withdrawal symptoms, then Origins, a debut 4 song EP from a new Las Vegas band by the name of a War Called Home, may be your new fix.
Without a doubt, WCH has a sound that harkens back to the mid 90‘s, a time when this style of ultra-melodic punk was immensely popular. On any given weekend in 1995, it was possible to see four or five bands at our very own Huntridge Theater that all shared what I call “The Fat Wreck Chords Sound”. In fact, WCH would have fit seamlessly on a show with all of the Fat bands I listed in the first paragraph of this review.
I know lead guitarist Rich Brewer is a product of the aforementioned Fat era, and in an attempt to get back to his roots, he has certainly assembled a talented batch of young guns to round out the roster of WCH. With plenty of shredding solos, melodic guitars galore, and that trademark gallop on the drums, the band Strung Out instantly comes to mind as another easy comparison (“A War Called Home” is also the name of a Strung Out song). At times, the singing and some of the vocal patterns remind me of Fall Out Boy, and it should also be noted that the harmonized group vocals are also executed flawlessly.
The comic book style cover art looks great, but I have yet to see an actual physical copy of this EP (I’m told it’s coming). That means no lyric sheet yet, although I will say that 100% of the vocals are intelligible by ear. There is also a WCH bandcamp page that features this EP as well as some miscellaneous band information.
Like much of the music I review, this one is just a tad too sugar-coated for my everyday use, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. WCH is off to a hell of a start with this 4 song teaser, and I only expect great things to come from the positive energy of this band. Someday I will catch them live as well (I promise, Rich).
Don’t hold your breath waiting for a new Lagwagon record. Check out Origins instead.
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