We can’t always wait for the big name, well known bands to come perform in our area and with the release of Kill the Drive’s new album, “Lady Karma” we no longer have to. KTD’s newest release proves that there are top notch bands out there that just need to be discovered. The band has come a long way since their 2009 release “Post Cards From Hell”. It is a lesson to stick to your guns, just because you’ve made something great and haven’t become superstars, don’t give up, your magnum opus may be just around the corner.
Unlike their 2009 release, “Lady Karma” has a much cleaner as well as a heavier sound. One can’t help but compare this band to some the of Punk Rock greats such as Bayside, Rise Against, or Green Day but instead of saying that KTD sound like them, I would be more inclined to say that they have taken everything that is great about those bands and built upon them.
The album begins not with a great single but a statement of what to expect through the album. “Losing Fight” is clearly is a great opener which immediatly sucks you in and prepares you for what is coming. Tracks 2-3 are by far the strongest tracks on the album because both “Monster in My Bed” and “Apocalypse 101” are the mosh tracks, high energy and catchy as hell.
One of the things I most enjoyed is the fact the Kill the Drive did not forget the Pop Punk roots which most bands in Israel started from. There are two tracks in particular which let us know this, “Shades of Grey” and “Wait in Line”. They are the summer pop-punk tracks we wish were still being made by other bands from our childhood.
Other tracks that stand out are the beautiful punk ballad “Fading into Nothing” and the hardcore “Violence”. The last track that most needs recognition is the song “Anybody Listening” which awaits us at almost the end of the album. I believe it was unfairly stashed there because in most likelihood, there could only be one opening track to the album and I’m not unsure this shouldn’t have been it. Track 11 is reminiscent of what The Offspring wish they could still be putting out today.
With Eyal Reiner’s haunting punk voice and a special shout out to Gideon Berger’s perfectly timed drums, Kill The Drive’s “Lady Karma” is exactly where Punk Rock needs to be.
The album can be purchased here.
