Obviously originating from Pasadena, Texas, Pasadena Napalm Division is an old-school Crossover Thrash act, and one listen to their material makes it clear that there is a clear Anthrax and Suicidal Tendencies influence to their song writing. Much of the material here covers the general bases of the early Thrash scene, and sometimes goes a little further into areas that, at first, may sound childish, but make you actually listen to the music. But, whatever way you look at this band's self-titled debut EP, there's no mistaking that this release is full of catchy, yet sometimes fun or humorous, Thrash. And, for an ode to yesteryears like this release, that isn't such a bad thing.
The Crossover element to the music doesn't necessarily need to be explained, as any fan of the old-school Thrash style, not the new Thrash revival going on at the time of this release, will automatically know what is in store on this album. There's a good Punk influence to the music, and many of the songs are short, simple, but usually a really hard punch to the face. Lyrically, and sometimes musically, the band tries to bring a little fun into their music. "100 Beers With a Zombie" is very evident of this, as the song's more upbeat nature suits the lyrics about alcohol and zombies nicely, almost bringing in a Thrash version of a Horror Punk song and it's atmosphere. Outside that, there's also the song "Spell It Out", which is a literal title, as the entire song is simple letters that spell out words. If you don't have the lyrics to the song, you may want to have a pencil and paper handy to jot them down, as sometimes they come at you so fast you may not be able to process them unless you are honestly paying attention and listening solely on the letters.
Sometimes, the influences become more like idol worship, just pumped up a bit more. The first thing that will come to mind for the listener on some of these tracks would be an evident Suicidal Tendencies approach, mostly to the literal or purely frustrated, angsty lyrics that are found on this song. "Failure" is the perfect example of this, as it sounds like it was greatly inspired by the song "Institutionalized", except done at a much faster pace, and having the vocals not build the song up as much. Then, of course, there's the bonus track "Okra" which is perhaps the silliest track of them all, with the chorus simply being the spelling of the word (perhaps a theme of this band thanks to the song "Spell It Out"), repeating it twice, then the music stops for a quick "factual" spoken word citation before hammering back into the chorus. Sadly, while the song is humorous at first, like many of the songs here, it will quickly lose it's appeal. The only tracks that won't honestly lose their appeal after a while are "Spell It Out", "Failure" and "100 Beers With a Zombie" due to the old-school Thrash input that causes these tracks to shimmer a brighter then the other's with a slightly more unique sound for the band.
Other then "Okra", the EP clocks in at a very short amount of time with five other fun songs that capture the odder side of the earlier Thrash/Crossover movement. With all idol worship aside, Pasadena Napalm Division is not all that bad a release, and actually shows promise from the band. When the band isn't trying to be a little over the top with silliness in a matured, sarcastic manner, such as on "Speaking in Tongues" and "Okra", the songs are well composed , catchy, and hit the listener hard. If you're looking for something newish to listen to, why not give Pasadena Napalm Division a quick spin.
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