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Bad Religion - New Maps of Hell (Deluxe)
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It takes most bands a decade to record and release fifty songs. It takes some a career. Some don’t make it that far at all. Jenny Piccolo, however, could be considered ahead of the curve, as their discography packs 52 songs into almost half that amount of time. Granted, only 10 of those so much as crack the one-minute barrier, but a band like this obviously isn’t putting any premiums on song or album duration.

What they are doing is being as fast and as loud as humanly possible, so in that right -- mission successful. Amidst the maniacal shrieks, lightning fast riffs, and unforgivingly loud drum fills, there’s music to be found. You have to look hard and you have to be patient, but it’s there. Just don’t get too attached to a specific song because by the time you do, it’s over. Not only is it over, but three more songs have passed by since, each as much a torrent of distortion and throat-searing vocals as the last. Only towards the middle of the discography is there a bit of a break from that kind of songwriting because a few of the songs are a bit longer (read: more than a minute) and feel much more like fast-paced emotional hardcore, rather than screeches and blast beats of the grind-ish material they normally play. It actually suits them pretty well to slow down for a grittier and more intense attack.

Strange as that sounds, Jenny Piccolo are not very menacing at all when playing at blazing speed. That’s not to say they’re uncomfortable in the style -- far from it, but they come across more as just playing quickly as possible for the sake of it. However, when they slow it down, even just a bit, it’s a whole different ballgame. "Cyanide Inhaler" begins with a slow drumroll, and quickly moves to a bouncy rhythm with scathing vocals and occasional shout-alongs to keep it interesting. This is what I’d love to see more of from them, rather than the all-out blitz most of the discography presents.

It’s schizophrenic, it’s intense, and it’s all over in the amount of time it would take you to watch a "Happy Days" rerun. Not my bag exactly, but they’re solid at what they do, I cannot deny them that.






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    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 24, 2007 at 8:57 PM (EST)

    PS- There's better "emo violence." I actually agree with this review. There were lots of better bands doing the same thing.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 24, 2007 at 8:55 PM (EST)

    "Songs that are longer than a minute aren't worth listening to. Simple as that.
    -feeeding5000"

    I'm pretty sure the vast majority of crust punk you were giving stellar reviews a couple months ago is based around songs longer than a minute.

    -Will

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 24, 2007 at 8:09 PM (EST)

    The funny thing is Jenny Piccolo was considered a joke when they were around, even by powerviolence standards. This record is unnecessary.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 24, 2007 at 12:47 PM (EST)

    The statement "someone needs to listen to more powerviolence" should probably never be uttered ever again. No.

    -r3venge therapy

    Posted by theonetruebill on 2007-01-24 01:59:06

    I wouldn't say 3/5 is a low score

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 24, 2007 at 1:05 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Someone needs to listen to more powerviolence. There are people--musicians and genre fans--to whom it sounds like more than just "screeches and blast beats." Just because the album contains said elements doesn't mean that the review must focus on them.

    If they're "solid at what they do," why the low score, especially since you admit you don't particularly like or understand the style?

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 8:43 PM (EST)

    the artwork is really nice, might have to check this out on the basis of this review.

    Posted by SilentStorms on 2007-01-23 19:28:38
    My Score:

    I kind of like this band. I have all the records that consist of these 52 songs, but the best purchase you can get by these guys is the This Is Circumstantial Evidence DVD released on ThreeOneG. I bought for it for the Blood Brothers live set but the Jenny Piccolo set is utterly amazing. They play the song Forgotten at the end and the drummer goes fucking insane. Best. Video. Ever. Great review Anchors, two fantastic reviews in a row.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 5:23 PM (EST)

    shit review! one word- MOHINDER! "kids"!?!?

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 4:52 PM (EST)

    this sounds like an incredibly awesome album.

    Posted by Ianw on 2007-01-23 14:05:20

    Unless it's brutal brain-crushing distorto-crunch for half an hour. Otherwise i would tend to back you up.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 1:39 PM (EST)

    Songs that are longer than a minute aren't worth listening to. Simple as that.
    -feeeding5000

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