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The Undeclinables

Their Greatest Adventures (as Undeclinable
Ambuscade) (1997)
Epitaph Records

Reviewer Rating:

Contributed by: Joe
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on March 11th 2005

Of all the mistakes that Brett Gurewitz and his label have made over the years, like giving the Matches to the mainstream (thanks a bunch), not pushing this Dutch five-piece and subsequently letting them go is one of the biggest.

It has come to my knowledge that a lot of Undeclinable's records aren't widely available in the US, and it's really a shame because they're one of the best skate-punk bands around (as far as I know they are still going strong). This was their debut full-length album and it probably wasn't their best, but they show a large amount of promise on ...Greatest Adventures. They have a pretty raw edge to their sound, which could be described as a faster Millencolin or Pulley, and though it may not be truly innovative or unique, they also show that they could be diverse too - just check out the awesome "African Song" for proof, where they weld punk, ska and tribal beats into one 3-minute song.

Lyrically, they are not perfect, but you can forgive them for that, like you would with Millencolin or Bombshell Rocks, as the melodies and choruses are so catchy it becomes irrelevant. They have songs about drinking, songs about love, and songs about the daily struggle to make ends meet, but they never once turn boring.

If you're big into the old-school Epitaph sound, which I know some of you must be, then you need to endeavour to track these guys down. While it would be wisest to go with One For The Money first, this is also an album worthy of your time and attention.

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Anonymous (March 14, 2005)

and yeah, i know that was just posted below, but had to get a hyperlink in there fo' dat ass

Anonymous (March 14, 2005)

Yes, this band is still going very strong.

You should listen to demos of their new shit, it rips: http://www.purevolume.com/undeclinable

Anonymous (March 12, 2005)

To the second guy who posted: I know bands like RKL, DFL and Total Chaos were around at the early stages (and I own 5 Bad Religion albums), but I consider the old school Epitaph sound to be skate-punk, like Undeclinable, Ten Foot Pole, Osker etc ever since they started to become diverse with who they sign.

Joe

ThomPunkAheaddotcom (March 11, 2005)

"Pretty much anything Epitaph released in between the years 1987 and 1999 is gold."

I agree totally, those were the real fine years of punk rock.

And this band are great, their older stuff especially.

axx (March 11, 2005)

forgot to score..
that's better!

axx (March 11, 2005)

great band, classi album.. songs like Alcohol or African Song are instant classics.

yep, they are still going, they are currenty playing shows around Europe to raise funds to finance their next album, as Epitaph dropped them (their third album "Sound City Burning" had a slight change in sound, a nice evoltuion if you ask me, crazy vocal melodies and harmonies.. but didn't sell enough for the big E, so...).
So their new album should be out this year.. the new material is really good (you can check out www.purevolume.com/undeclinable ).

And yeah, I like them a lot.. we organised a festival the other day in Paris and they headlined it.

Also, if you have never heard the song "7 years", then you have never heard the true meaning of a sad punk rock love song. Listen to it NOW!

Anonymous (March 11, 2005)

Score's for their 30 second song, which is all I've heard from them.

Crookedsuperhero (March 11, 2005)

Man, i heard this band on punk-o-rama 3 years ago and always meant to get something by them. I think i'm gonna pick this up. Thanks for the reminder.

Anonymous (March 11, 2005)

the last record that put out when they decided to shorten the name down was very good.

wyzo

Not-To-Regret (March 11, 2005)

The song "What You Stand For" is a pretty standard punk song, but it rips, I suggest y'all download it.

Anonymous (March 11, 2005)

dude, you don't know shit about the old-school epitaph sound.
have you ever heard albums by Coffin Break, Bad Religion or Rich Kids on LSD?

anyways. marijn.x.