“Nothing’s more pathetic than too much self-restraint,” vocalist Pink Eyes taunts on “Jacob’s Ladder,” with a throaty howl reminiscent of Negative Approach/Easy Action’s John Brannon, Sick of It All’s Lou Koller, or even Electric Frankenstein’s Steve Miller. It’s the kind of voice that would make anyone want to come back as a barrel-chested man in a next life, if only to front a hardcore band.
Fucked Up plays with an irreverent and nihilistic force that has made at least one jaded music critic’s heart grow three sizes today. Every kid in America under 18 who thinks he or she is “punk rock” should be forced to listen to Fucked Up and see how it’s really done. This could be a life-changing record for a lot of young punks out there as well as a new staple for everyone else.