PNS/Society’s Parasites – Split

I usually don’t feel justified opening a review negatively, but when I have to listen to something that both insults my intelligence and punk-rock in general, I’d be a fool to ignore my gut reaction.  Such is the case with the new split featuring tracks by Prague-based hardcore trash punkers PNS and Los Angeles’ unmelodic street punkers Society’s Parasites.

The Split opens with six barely listenable PNS songs.  Granted, PNS subscribe to a school of trash punk I typically avoid out of preference, but even when measuring these tracks against highly regarded genre staples like Municiple Waste, PNS pails in comparison.  Now, I can tolerate and respect the chaotically disjointed soundscape characteristic of thrash-punk, and appreciate the ambition of making something out of chaos, but PNS clearly misses this vision.  All of the tracks are so chaotic and devoid of direction and differentiation that at times the only thing I can liken the sound to is a crying baby bashing on garbage cans.  It’s just that intolerable.  There are brief moments of clarity, specifically in the Prague-language featuring track “Who Knows?“, as well as the a curiously original guitar solo in “Soft Boiled Eggs,” and the majority of “Same Seed,” but these moments of ambition are surrounded with the overused splashing of symbols and drone of repetitive instrumentation – if you can even call it that.

To make matters worse, PNS is angry without cause.  With the exception of “Same Seed” – a track serving as a reminder that we are all human, regardless of our societal origins (which is ironic, considering what I’m about to say) – the lyrics are hateful without focus or reason.  It’s one thing to be critical of religion or politics – Bad Religion have made a career out of crafting songs that insightfully work against society’s norms and foundations – but it’s another thing entirely to be hateful for the purpose of being hateful.  In their worst offense, PNS outright attack Christianity at it’s core in a song so offensively titled I won’t even give it the satisfaction of being named in this review.  Again, when bands like Bad Religion criticize Christianity, they cite historical moments, or present-day institutions exploiting citizens’ faith – the best examples being “Sinister Rouge” and “American Jesus.”  But when PNS “criticize” Christian faith, they come dangerously close to hate speech and attack the very core core of the religion – something completely detached from where any real corruption that may arguably exist.  It’s one thing to use freedom of speech, it’s another to use it responsibly.

Society’s Parasites are responsible for the next ten tracks, and not surprisingly (based on their 2007 Hellcat debut), they all sound the same.  While from a technical side PNS had a few rare interesting moments, and the songs had a few clear distinctions, Society’s Parasites’ tracks sound like an endless loop.  They do have a few tracks featuring the Spanish language, including “La Lucha,” “LAPD,” “Sociedad Corrupta,” “Tiempos Dificiles,” and “Immigrante” (on second thought, that’s over half of them), but thanks to the vocal repetition I failed to pick up on their bilingualism until I started reading the lyrics.  I know hardcore bands usually require some sort of translator to get the most from them, but when you can’t even distinguish between tongues I think there is something seriously amiss.

Simply put, no one should bother with this split.  There are so many superior thrash/hardcore acts out there, from the genre’s masterful inception by Black-Flag to leading thrashcore revivalists Municipal Waste, there is no need to waste time on this abomination.  PNS’ misguided anger is an insult to the genre, and Society’s Parasites have yet to write a memorable song.  To top things off, it has been released in conjunction with a record label that actually thought it would be a good idea to call themselves “Golden Shower, White Power,” and make their logo the silhouette of a man urinating on an oppressed figure.  Why am I not surprised?