Implants – The Olden Age

After a well received inaugural outing, 80’s and 90’s inspired supergroup Implants returns with five blistering tracks of melodic punk rock goodness.  Last time around the band mostly gravitated towards a mix of Pennywise and Bad Religion, with substantial guitar-driven flare ups circa Strung Out.  For their follow-up, Implants firmly press the pedal to the metal and accelerate beyond the latter, leaning even further towards the technical speed of modern metal-punks Chaser, Darko, Pour Habit, and before long venturing more broadly further back into the 80’s.

Implants latest EP, The Olden Age, fully embraces the band’s myriad of now classic influences.  As the album title implies, the band’s chief sound lives firmly rooted in the past.  These aged punks make no secret about their allegiance to the 80’s and 90’s, with opener “Desperation” standing firmly with the metal-tinged camp of EpiFat skate-punk.  With drums beat fiercely and riffs roar rhythmically as the track serves as a crash course in where their debut, From Chaos To Order, left off.  Curiously, when “All For Nothing” hits, the band rummages more broadly through the 80’s, branching their sound out to and gearing their guitars up for chorus-heavy anthems circa Cheap Trick.  With a result that’s a tad too quick and modern to be lumped in with the hair-bands of the day, the track introduces a flashier, more direct side of Implants that generally sets the EP’s tone.

Ken Conte’s vocals are slicker than ever, and when combined with the varying tempos of tracks like the politically charged “The System,” make for a heavily polished, sonically direct affair.  Take how the track hits the ground running at the onset, slowly infuses more determined solos and choruses until the pitter patter of drums transforms into lumbering, anthemic thumps.  “Sage” occupies somewhat of a middle ground between the two, while “Come On Come On” fully submits to the 80’s in a blur of theatrical pop-rock that would be hard to imagine being fronted by any male without bleach blond hair and thick eyeshadow.  The track will be hit or miss for fans based on their preferences, but there’s no denying that Implants must have had a blast in their indulgence.

The Olden Age marks the continuation of Implants as any returning fan might expect.  The decision to delve deeper into the 80’s makes for a minor deviation in substance, but their enthusiasm is entirely believable.  Overall, The Olden Age is a playful and well-executed follow-up from a group that remains loosely focused on celebrating their own past.