When an email appears in my inbox which suggests that a band is for fans of Link 80, Mustard Plug and Less Than Jake, you know I'm very interested. Hailing from California's East Bay, Omnigone are the new ska band on the scene but they certainly aren't strangers to it. Fronted by former Link 80 guitarist Adam Davis, Omnigone have picked up the torch that the East Bay ska legends left behind by blending ska, punk and hardcore to create the awesome debut No Faith which is released on the 13th of September by Bad Time Records. Joining Davis is former Link 80 bass player Barry Krippene and a rotating cast of musicians including Brent Friedman (We Are The Union), Steve Borth (Rx Bandits/Link 80), Justin Amans (Kitty Kat Fan Club/Obikubo Station), Jeremy Hunter (Skatune Network/We Are The Union), Bootie Pook (Beat the Red Light/The Filaments/Redeemon), Aaron Carnes (Flat Planet) and Reece Noble. With such a talented group of musicians working on this project, I had really high hopes for this one.
No Faith begins with BTC. Ensuring that the album gets off to a ferocious start, this is a less than two minutes long hardcore song. Aggression and energy pour out of this opener, ensuring that the listener is pumped up immediately for what is to come. Up next is Horizontal Aggression. When the track begins it has you wondering if it's going to be another fast hardcore song but it quickly morphs into a bouncy skacore track that will get you skanking. It is also so catchy that you'll be singing along very quickly. It's a song that calls for unity and for fighting parties to come together and stand up to the real enemy. The simple chorus works wonderfully with the message of the song, bringing everyone listening together. The third song, Keep On, sees Omnigone venture into slightly more punk rock territory. They slow things down on this infectiously positive track about not letting the world stop you from going after what you want. The chorus of "keep pushing forward, soldier on, keep your head down, keep moving on, no-one stand in your way, live for yourself today, keep your head down, keep moving on" are some inspiring lyrics. Reggae track Rather Be Alone is the only song on No Faith that gets anywhere close to being three minutes long. On this track we encounter a laid back sounding Omnigone, showcasing a completely different side of themselves. Adam Davis shows off a real versatility in his voice, sounding equally great whether he's crooning on a reggae track or screaming for a hardcore song.
Stitch In Time sees the pace brought right back up for this short ska punk banger which has the addition of horns for the first time on No Faith. This song is a lot of fun, the first half being a fun skankathon before the song gets more intense towards the end, leading you into a great mosh moment. It's about not worrying too much about being on time for things as it brings unnecessary stress to your life. Title track No Faith comes next and sees Omnigone go back to that aggressive hardcore style that started the album. They do however change things slightly by adding some horns. I really like how they're subtlety layered in rather than being completely in your face, they're used to add a building element and to add a bit of drama without going overboard. Krippene's bass playing really stands out on the song, really laying down a fantastic rhythm to break up the hoarse screaming from Davis. Six Feet Down was a stand out on my first listen of the album. There's a stripped back almost scratchy sound reminding me of early Rancid and the Suicide Machines. This makes it all the more accessible for the listener, you'll be singing along in no time at all. Six Feet Down looks at the subject of mental health, particularly struggling with the pressures of modern life and if the voices in your head will allow you to get through another day. This is one of those important mental health songs I can see a lot of people relating to and it will hopefully offer them some kind of catharsis.
The eighth song is a cover of the Vantana Row song On Wednesdays I Am Going To Make It. I had no idea who Vantana Row are but after a quick Spotify search I discovered an angry sounding electronic hip hop crossover act. Omnigone take the song and turn it into a skacore/crack rocksteady song and really make the song their own. They perfectly balance the harder side of skacore and the more melody driven crack rocksteady sound with one genre not overpowering the other. If you weren't aware that this was a cover, you would easily think this was an Omnigone original. New Way talks about the changes in what it's like being in a band now compared to what it was like twenty years ago. This is easiest the poppiest sounding song on No Faith and it's a fun walk down memory lane. It's amazing when you think about how much things must have changed for musicians in such a short space of time. Davis looks back fondly at those times but I can't help but think that touring is much easier now. When I saw the title of the tenth song, Burn It Down, I instantly knew that this would be a fast paced hardcore track. It's such a big contrast to New Way but doesn't really affect the flow of the album like you think it might. It's quite hard to make out the lyrics but I'm pretty sure I'm right to assume it's about setting fire to all the bad things that are happening and rebuilding for something better. There's such ferocity and intensity on this song, it really makes you care about the message.
Omnigone released a music video for the eleventh song Rewrite History – interesting that they decided to make a video for the shortest song on No Faith. Rewrite History is a horn driven ska punk track, it's perhaps the more traditional sounding ska punk song on the entire album. I wonder if this was the point as Davis talks about the past and how things, for better or worse, are coming around again and you can't change it. The breakdown really put a big smile on my face even if it did feel a bit tongue-in-cheek. The penultimate track is named Obituary and is a positive song about making sure you live your life to the fullest so that when you die you leave behind some fantastic stories. This song features my favourite lyrics of the entire album and perhaps the entire year – "tomorrow isn't promised, so live for today." Obituary starts out as a bouncy ska track before gradually moving into a straight up punk track. This upped intensity really adds to the passion and energy of the track. I really hope to be able to sing this song back at the band at some point. No Faith is finished by West Coast East Bay. Finishing the album how it began with a fast paced hardcore song ensures that No Faith doesn't finish with a whimper but with a bang. It starts out seriously fast before halfway through we are treated to a slower paced head banging section with some seriously hoarse growling vocals before picking the speed right back up to finish the song and the album. West Coast East Bay is an ode to the San Francisco scene that welcomes all newcomers no matter what their background might be. It sounds like a fantastic community to be involved in.
No Faith completely blew me away. I loved the fast frenzied approach to the songwriting as well as the variation in styles. No two songs in a row sound the same. This keeps the album so fresh and constantly has you guessing what will come next. Lyrically it's superb with many positive messages that will inspire and help in equal measure. This isn't an album just for ska nerds, if you love punk rock then this is an essential album for you to check out immediately.
Stream and download No Faith here: https://omnigone.bandcamp.com/album/no-faith
Like Omnigone here: https://www.facebook.com/0MNIG0NE/
This review was written by Colin Clark.
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