I got this album on outofprintpunk.blogspot.com. Good thing I got this before it became an invite only blog, because “3 Lefts Make A Right” rules.
Hailing from Tampa Bay, Slap Of Reality rocked hard in the late eighties and early nineties. Their sound resembles the melodic punk of the day, in that it has harmony and isn’t too fast, but still has punk’s intensity. Oh, and they could play their instruments. The singer is earnest and the guitarist, who I think went on to play with Down By Law a few years later, is slick. The rhythm section, though, steals the show. They are tight and talented, with the drummer pulling all kinds of fills and the bass player uses the whole fretboard. The bass dude also plays his own lines and doesn’t just follow what the guitarist does. I could tell listening to him that as a former punk rock bass playing kind of person myself I’d have been depressed had I listened to Slap Of Reality back when I played because there is no way I’d ever have been able replicate what he does.
As you can tell, I really dig this album. To me and I know it's a bit repetitive to say this about any late eighties/early nineties melodic band, but whatever, they sound like the Doughboys, but dare I say it, they're better. Yep, much better. Enjoy the rad sounds of Slap Of Reality.
1. As Far As You Know
2. Certain Fall
3. Time Alone
4. Radiate
5. Different Worlds
6. Five
7. Where's It Going
8. Best of Me
9. Walk Away
10. Just What I Needed
South Carolina’s Fear Itself played killer thrash. In the punk rock family tree, they’d be the bastard child of The Misfits, who’d supply the lyrics, and Attitude Adjustment, who’d donate the music. Like Maximum Rock And Roll said when the demo first came out, it could be called ‘Horror Thrash’, for a lack of better terms. So rock out and then watch horror movies. Or the other way around.
