There are very few albums that I can listen to without wanting to skip at least one track. No Gods/No Managers is one such album. Sounding like a more aggressive and even evil Operation Ivy, with a variety of ska, punk, reggae, and metal, Choking Victim's 1999 release is one I would highly recommend.
500 Channels is a bit of a sarcastic rant on the boredom of being a lazy American; the one who stays home doing nothing but changing the channels on their T.V. night after night; "and then, when there is no hope, 'I'll shoot the crack, I'll smoke the dope'". From there, it hits a variation of the heavy and the light.
Crack Rock Steady puts a humorous spin on cop killing and smoking crack, though whether or not the band really hits the crack pipe is undetermined. Following the catchy ska goodness of Crack Rock Steady, however, is what has to be my current favorite song on the album, Suicide.
The metal/ska/punk rhythm continues throughout the rest of the albums, In My Grave and Fucked Reality continues with the ongoing theme of Satanism, drug use, and various other [mainly] negative themes.
Hate Yer State would have to be the song most closely resembling something played on mainstream radio. Namely for the chorus... it just gives me an image of a bunch of angsty teens dressed in black reeking havoc in the suburbs. Proof once again that even without possibly meaning to be, their songs are highly amusing.
Fuck America starts out with screaming that sounds like something off of a Death Metal/Black Metal album. It then flows into War Story with an awesome intro riff that I really dig. It goes from anti-war to the pro-stealing anthem by way of Five Finger Discount, another favorite.
Praise to the Sinners opens with a bit of a Spanish guitar style riff and then goes into a metal-ish groove before going on to Living the Law - a song full of the heavy metal sound - which has to be the heaviest song on the album.
The bottom line is that it's an album with a message. Sure, the messages are usually of the Satanic/drug abusing/shoplifting/anti-political persuasion, but it's a message nonetheless. I'd recommend this album to anyone who is into real punk; particularly Operation Ivy, Rancid, and the like. If you are easily offended or don't like harder sounding rock, then this probably isn't the album for you. I'd give No Gods/No Managers a 10 out of 10 because the album flows brilliantly, has a great sound, and it is a prime example of punk at its best.
Track Listing
- 500 Channels
- In Hell
- Crack Rock Steady
- Suicide
- In My Grave
- Fucked Reality
- Money
- Hate Yer State
- Fuck America
- War Story
- Five Finger Discount
- Praise to the Sinners
- Living the Laws
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