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Mest

Mest - Mest Audio CD

A fair review of the Mest "Mest" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Mest reviews here, or go back to the Mest tabs.

Band: Mest
Title: Mest
Rating:

Release Date: 2003-06-10
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Until I Met You 2: Rooftops 3: Jaded (These Years) feat. Benji Madden 4: Night Alone 5: Burning Bridges 6: Walking On Broken Glass 7: Your Promise 8: 2000 Miles 9: Shell Of Myself 10: Lost, Broken, Confused 11: Chance Of A Lifetime 12: Return To Self-Loathing 13: Paradise

Great cd, nothing more, nothing less
Definitely a great cd for everyone who likes the lighter kind of punk rock music!. Mest's self titled album was all that I expected from it: light weight, easy listening punk rock music with catchy songs, a mostly happy feel throughout the whole cd and nicely written lyrics.

Classic Mest
" It's only natural that their close friends and future touring mates in the already established Mest would follow suit the following year, and release a similarly more emotional and and slightly more accessible (as compared to what they had done in the past) album that sometimes echoes Good Charlotte's said opus. One of this decade's biggest bands ever for the genre, Good Charlotte, changed the tide of pop-punk in 2002 when they released the hugely successful "The Young and the Hopeless.

I want to start out by saying that I REALLY love Mest. These guys are SO underrated and deserved to be so much bigger than they got. The band hails from Blue Island, Illinois, a working-class suburb that borders with Chicago's south side. (In fact, the band display their hometown pride by featuring a photo of the city's water tower on the back cover of this CD. ) I am from Park Forest, another southern suburb of Chicago relatively near to there and I have to say that it makes me proud to see a band as great as Mest originating practically from my own backyard. After all, while the Chicago scene has had some good bands through the years, most, such as Screeching Weasel, Articles of Faith (early '80s hardcore), and Broken Hope (early '90s death metal) have all come from the north side or northern suburbs of the city. I feel that Mest really put Chicago's southern suburbs on the map musically when they broke.

Onto this CD -- anyone who thought that Mest had slowed down with 2001's "Destination Unknown," as compared to the mostly fast and hard pop-punk found on the 2000 debut "Wasting Time," is silenced by the self-titled's opener "Until I Met You. " I am blown away! Classic Mest. Super fast, melodic, and catchy.

On this track it is again clear what a super talented and charismatic frontman Tony Lovato is. He exudes such a commanding presence without a hint of self consciousness. I am an astrology buff of sorts, and noted when reading about the band on Wikipedia that his birthday is June 20th, placing him under the sign of Gemini; in fact, he was born on the same day (different year obviously) as another musical genius but from long past, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. MANY musical greats are in fact born under this sign -- just consider that the Beatles' Paul McCartney, the Dead Kennedys' Jello Biafra, and more recently, Jewel (I know, different type of music entirely, but I'm a big fan of hers), were all born under the sign of the twins.

But back to the music on this CD, after establishing that they mean business on the opener, Mest follow it up with "Rooftops," which contains the classic lines "Up on the rooftop/Listening to punk rock" and "Staying up till five a. m. " Amen to that! I know I spend almost every weekend doing just that (though true, I'm usually in my room rather than on the roof). What a catchy and great song this is.

In fact, there's not one weak song to be found on this CD. John Feldmann's production is very fluid and real and right in your face. Some other standouts come in the form of "Burning Bridges," which continues Mest's pattern on their past albums of dabbling with a reggae style on at least one track; this song has a very true and real feel to it. Some more excellent songs are to be found on the second half of the CD. I really like the chorus in "2000 Miles. " Principle (and equally talented) guitarist but also additional vocalist Jeremiah Rangel turns in a brilliant performance when he sings on one of the best and most emotional tracks on the CD, "Shell Of Myself. " The chorus has an absolutely beautiful melody to it. I can't get enough of this track. And if some of the songs were too emotional or accessible for some of Mest's core earlier fans, then closer "Paradise (122nd and Highland)" is a return to form -- classic pop-punk that sounds like it could have been on "Wasting Time. "

The CD also contains enhanced multimedia content for your computer's CD-ROM, a 15 or so minute behind-the-scenes look at the making of this album, as well as a glimpse into the band's sometimes wild lifestyle of partying on the road. It also has some commentary from producer Feldmann (Goldfinger) on how he strived to always get the best sound possible out of the band in the studio. He/they certainly succeeded, as Mest's 2003 self-titled opus is a classic that I hope stays in print for many years to come. It receives only the highest possible recommendation for any fans of great pop-punk.

Very Good 3rd CD of Mest
Until I Met You- 10/10
Rooftops- 10/10
Jaded (These years)- 10/10
Night Alone- 9/10
Burning Bridges- 9/10
Walking on Broken Glass- 9/10
Your Promise- 10/10
2000 Miles- 9/10
Shell of Myself- 8/10
Lost, Broken, Confused- 9/10
Chance of a Lifetime- 10/10
Return to Self-Loating- 7/10
Paradise (122 nd and highland)- 10/10
25 to Life- 8/10.

Brad Thinks Its Great
They may have gone for quite a different sound but it's great. This May not be the best album to come from mest but I rate it high, that shows how good the other two are. The best songs are Jaded and Rooftops and Chance of a lifetime's acoustic balladry provides a welcome change of pace. Well worth 5 stars.

Mestheads unite!!!
Ok, so it may not be the greatest. Mest's latest and greatest album has definately earned 5 stars in my book. . . I loved Destination Unknown, but still. Mest is AWESOME! Hard not to love the CD. . . unless you're not a big fan of Mest. :D Seriously though, it rocks. Tony Lovato is amazing, Benji is the best EVER on Jaded, and on the whole it's an amazing CD.

You can see a complete list of all Mest discography, or go back to the Mest tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.