Album Review :: The Gashers :: Law Is Not Order

Written by: Andrea Janov, CC2K Music Editor

The Gashers are a side project of Vegas band, The Peccadilloes, and they are making a solid name for themselves in their own right. (Think Rancid meets Social D, with more of a rockabilly slant and a killer chick vocalist.) The greatest part of the band’s sound are the aggressive vocals and the lyrics that demand a change, even a revolution. The band is a three peice comprised of James, Jason, and Sandy, each providing vocals. Even though I am a huge fan of rough gravely vocals (which James and Jason do stupendously) it is Sandy’s vocals that really stand out on the album, there is something electric in her voice, it is strong, robust, and full of vigor.

From the first chords of The Gashers’ Law Is Not Order you know that you are in for an intense album. Each track trades lead vocals between amazing gravely male and intense female vocals over killer rockabilly music. Though their sound is punk-heavy rockabilly, but there are some great metal influences in these tracks. Each song is pure unrelenting music with powerful vocals.

The first track, Stuffed, is a super fun get psyched song, full of trading vocals about going to shows and not wanting to sell out into the “corporate dream”. Simply, it has a ton of energy and is a lot of fun and does a great job of geting the listener psyched for the album. As the album progresses the songs get more political and the vocals a bit angrier. Occupy is about the Occupy Wall Street movement, Justice and Law Is Not Order are about the injustices that occur within our government, and The Masses is a comment on the freedoms that are being taken away from the people and how we can change our circumstances. The content and the tone of these songs is the perfect mix of catchiness, anger, and substance to create a pit of sympathizers who are screaming the lyrics right back at the band, with just a much conviction.

The album still has some non-political tracks such as Crusty Soul and Monsters, each about exactly what their titles state. And my favorite track, Another Crutch one of the fastest, aggressive tracks on the album, is pure punk rock shouting and enegery that tackles religion instead of politics. Religion is an equally touchy subject as polictics, but with great lyrics like “I’d rather be a sinner than a slave” growled over killer music, it doesn’t matter your beliefs, this is one damned great song.

You will leave this album, a bit dissatisfied with how you are treated as a citizen of the United Sates, but confident that you can do something about it, knowing that there are so many people in the revolution, and that revolution has a soundtrack. Law Is Not Order is out now on Squid Hat Records and while you are ordering it, check out the video for the title track, Law Is Not Order.