Various Artists – Punk-O-Rama V. 9

Epitaph Records are back with their ninth installment in their Punk-O-Rama series and as always, this cheap compilation features songs from some of the label’s more recent releases. The label which brought us some of punk’s greatest bands in the late 80s and early 90s like Bad Religion, NOFX, The Offspring, Pennywise, Rancid and The Vandals has certainly been changing their trademark sound a bit these past few years; and Punk-O-Rama 9 is a perfect example of this change.

The 24 track compilation features songs from some of the aforementioned bands like Bad Religion, Pennywise, and Rancid. They also have some of their newer punk outfits such as Pulley, 1208, Hot Water Music, and The Bouncing Souls. Then Punk-o-Rama 9 also features some emo bands like From First To Last, Matchbook Romance, and Scatter The Ashes; I guess Epitaph are picking up on what’s been selling lately with these few. Psychobilly bands like HorrorPops, Tiger Army and Nekromantix also make appearances as well as the more unique bands like The Matches and Motion City Soundtrack. Maybe the most surprising addition to the label’s sound would be their hip hop section and bands like Atmosphere and Eyedea & Abilities.

In addition to the twenty four track CD, they also give you a DVD with eleven new music videos from the label. They have some amazing videos for some phenomenal songs such as Pulley‘s Insects Destroy orThe Bouncing Souls‘ Sing Along Forever. You may not get the chance to see these videos on MTV or Much often, so take the chance to watch them while you can.

Overall, this compilation features a wide variety of styles and song structures. It makes for a interesting listen, and yes, you will most likely skip over a few tracks here and there. But it is well worth the cheap price of the compilation. And its a perfect album to listen to if you want to find out what Epitaph has been up to lately without dishing out hundreds of dollars to buy each CD separately