Various Artists – Unsound Vol.1

Many kids that read this site probably grew up on the “Epi-fat” sound. It’s a simple term that has coined a generation of punk rock bands; and if you ever fell out of the loop for a few months, you could be sure to see a new Punk-O-Rama compilation in the stores to get you back into the trend and hear what Epitaph had been releasing over the past year. Because, essentially, that’s what the Punk-O-Rama discs were, they weren’t full a unreleased material but rather a short collection of the label’s new releases – and it was perfect for any Epitaph fan. Of course, through time, people and labels change. Punk-o-Ramahas dissolved and been reborn as Unsound – a wise move by Mr. Brett to coincide with their slight change in sound.

It’s clear that Epitaph has been slowly getting with the times by signing more emo and hardcore bands – so they had to re-visit the concept behind Punk-O-Rama. They re basically doing the same philosophy, making a compilation of very little unreleased material but instead a selection of recent and upcoming releases from the label. But since many of these releases don’t really fall under the “punk” moniker, a title likePunk-O-Rama would be misleading.

And so enters Unsound Vol 1., a compilation of “emo, screamo, hardcore, punk & hip hop”. Notice how “punk” is fourth in the list of five? That surprised me too, but looking at the track listing, it’s a pretty accurate description. The main selling tracks from the compilation come from the likes of Vanna, From First To Last, Escape The Fate, Matchbook Romance, I Am Ghost, and Converge – bands that tend to fall under the “emo” and “hardcore” spectrum. Of course, the label’s roster isn’t limited to that genre and they do throw in some variations with the likes of Motion City Soundtrack and the sporadicSome Girls. Like the sticker on the front so clearly points out, there is some hip-hop by the likes of Sage Francis and Dangerdoom too.

The question is, where is the punk that made Epitaph so famous? Its sad to see that those few bands are just an after thought on here with Bad Religion supplying a two year old track (Los Angeles Is Burning) and Pennywise giving a year old one (Knocked Down). It is nice to hear a new Bouncing Souls song from their upcoming Gold Record. I was also pumped to hear a new Matches track but sadly, that was just a pretty disappointing track and I hope their full length is more appealing than Little Maggots leads us to believe it will be. But despite those few instances, the “Epi-fat” sound has completely disappeared from the label’s compilation, which is a sad thing to see and hear.

When it comes down to it, this isn’t Punk-O-Rama, it’s Unsound Vol.1. And while I miss the good old compilations with tracks from Pulley, Rancid, Bombshell Rocks, Millencolin, All, NOFX, Oskerand the likes, you can’t deny the fact that this is a fair representation of the label’s current roster. It flows nicely, and most of the emo boys will love it. It’s good, it’s just not Punk-O-Rama.