Audio Karate – Lady Melody

Audio Karate are set to release their follow-up to 2001’s critically acclaimed release, Space Camp. Released on June 1st 2004, Lady Melody displays the band’s growth perfectly with tighter melodies and harsher vocals; of course, with Bill Stevenson producing it , you can’t go wrong.

From the opening track and first single, Jesus Is A Live And Well (and Living in Mexico), to the closing track, Who Brings A Knife To A Gun Fight, the band’s unique sound is unmistakable. They take aggressive melodies and harsh vocals and combine them together to create an escape from today’s pop-punk overflow. The sound is really like most bands you’d find on the Kung Fu roster; Bigwig, oldBlink182 and old Ataris all come to mind. They have the same gruffy vocals with great punk hooks and melodies.

There are still some similarities between this, Lady Melody, and their previous release, Space Camp, but you can’t miss the distinct improvements. The songs are faster, but unlike most bands of their genre, they are still able to prolong them without taking away from the tracks. Art Barrios’ vocals are much stronger and more powerful then before; baring a striking resemblance to that of Brendan Kelly of The Lawrence Arms.

But it does take time for you to enjoy it. My first listened, I hated; as with my second try too. But I gave it one more and voila, I fell in love.