Wreak Havoc is about as punk as you can get. This album doesn’t stray too far from abrasive hardcore and punk styles in the instrumentation; however, the album has a dark and serious tone to it that is not quite so prevalent in most other punk albums. If you pay attention to the lyrics, you’ll understand what the band really thinks about the world and life itself. Not only that, but you’ll take them seriously and actually want to hear what they have to say, song after song. The guys in Wreak Havoc don’t come off as brain dead drunk punks who are merely screaming for the sake of screaming – the tackled subject matter is very real to you and everyone who is affected by things like collective bargaining rights and budget cuts in the United States. You feel that Wreak Havoc are going through the same struggles you are as a working American, and that’s the beauty of punk: that real people are playing these songs; that anyone can get up and sing about their troubles and make it sound good. It is almost like the blues for another generation.

The thing that is so spot on about the songwriting on Abandon Everything is that Wreak Havoc isn’t afraid to put themselves on the line. They objectively view themselves as part of the problem, and do not claim to have the answers or that they’d run this country any better. They admit that they’re human and are simply questioning, “When did this all go so wrong?” as stated in “The Greatest of Men Live Alone.” The most aggressive song on this album is “Kids These Days,” a lamentation about how the younger generation of punk rockers aren’t in it for the music: “I remember when the kids who went to shows really gave a fuck,” the song concludes.

Aside from the lyrical value, the songs on this album are a bit played out for the punk genre. However, instrumentally, Wreak Havoc display their skills, and the precision of the studio production is another strong point. Within the punk genre, it is hard to go into a professional studio and get the same raw feel and energy that you do at a live show. This can result in an over-produced album, too clean and too nice. Wreak Havoc has found a perfect medium between crisp production and live havoc on Abandon Everything. The guitars don’t sound too fuzzy or washed out, yet they maintain the smallest bit of feedback in the recording; they do it tastefully and it is never annoying or blatantly un-listenable.

This album isn’t one to pass up if you’re looking for a healthy dose of punk that was written with the intent to make you think beyond your garage or drinking beers in your basement.

(Rotten Records, PO Box 56, Upland, CA 91785)