Public Serpents

The "crack rock steady” sound just keeps expanding as more and more Choking Victim alumnus jump into the fray. At Public Serpents’ punkiest moments they sound very reminiscent to the aforementioned band, but instead of breaking it up with straight-ahead, dirty-sounding ska, they utilize a strong dub element, most evident on album opener "The Great Big Nothing.” "The Killing Jar” shows the band at their best, taking tight-ass turns between ska and punk before dropping in a dub breakdown. The addition of keys brings a nice touch to the goings-on, while the bass could definitely be brought up a bit, especially for the ska parts. The vocals get lost in the mix a few times but overall the production is decent and at the very least lets you know that these are some great songs (except for "Driller Killer,” which may be the most annoying thing ever). Lyrically you’re getting into the same "society sucks” politics made famous by bands like Crass, whose influence is demonstrated by the famous Crass-text circling the barcode on the back of the disc.