Last month, I received a request to do a review of this new three song, hardcore punk EP from a band out of San Diego called, CORPORATE CITIZEN. Now call me a lazy bastard if you will, but I am much more likely to entertain such a request when the song list is a bit short. So, “Sure, why not. I’ll check it out.” So, I quickly threw on this short release called “SIX MINUTE MEETING” and gave it a listen. Impressive!
From the moment this band opened the record with the first track, CULTURE VULTURE, it was on! Four heavy notes and a rattling bass line courtesy of Mike Ruggiero, it quickly escalates into a thrash frenzy. Vocalist, Bob Meder, jumps right on in and kicks the verses into high gear. The next part of the song is a “creepy crawl breakdown with that old school appeal” and tons of “Heys!” as well. This perfect combination makes for a great thrash punk song with an old school feel and was a great introduction to this record.
Next up is NOT THE ONE. As if I was not impressed enough, this song comes on. On this track, all the instruments jump right in before we get a short breakdown packed with some more “heys!” The guitar riffs on this track whose duties are shared by both members Steve Diaz and Louis Ramsey are astounding. This song has all the elements of a great hardcore song within. The layered guitar sound, catchy choruses, and old school feel make this track sound amazing. One just has to listen to get what I am talking about.
The band then kicks off their final track called POSITIVITY ANTHEM. Again, the heavy thrash riffs and thumping bass immediately kick the song into high gear with no fooling around. Dan Achin really kills it on this track on drums, I must add. Old school thrash, catchy upbeat choruses and solid vocals is what you can expect from this track along with its message about helping each other out. A quick, positive track to close the record and this short EP is Hardcore Gold! My only criticism of this release is that it was too damn short! It was hard not to be left “blue-balled” by the whole experience, so then I threw on their 2019 LP called, A BRIEF MOMENT OF SANITY, to compensate. (Which is another solid release too, I must say.) This San Diego, CA band has been around since 2017 and credits former member, Steve O’ Brien for the majority of songwriting on this EP. Check out this release and try to catch them back out on tour when life as we know it returns back to normal.
