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Offspring - Smash Audio CD

A fair review of the Offspring "Smash" 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 Offspring reviews here, or go back to the Offspring tabs.

Offspring Band: Offspring
Title: Smash
Rating:
Release Date: 2008-06-17
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Time to Relax 2: Nitro (Youth Energy) 3: Bad Habit 4: Gotta Get Away 5: Genocide 6: Something to Believe In 7: Come Out and Play (Keep 'Em Separated) 8: Self Esteem 9: It'll Be a Long Time 10: Killboy Powerhead 11: What Happened to You? 12: So Alone 13: Not the One 14: Smash

One of the greatest CDs ever
too bad they couldn't follow up this CD with anything of the same caliber (although some later songs are good, they don't really compare). This CD embodies the 90's, with a mix of songs that will leave any rock music lover in awe of offspring.
But this CD is a must-have in any rock collection.


The Offspring Rules!
Later the band would move on to the much bigger label Columbia and their popularity would increase dramatically. The 1994 album "Samsh" marked the band's last release on the small label called Epitaph. The line up involved is the classic one with Dexter Holland on vocals/rhythm guitar, Noodles on rhythm/lead guitar, Gerg K. on bass, and Ron Welty on drums. Thom Wilson was the producer and it is the highest selling album on an independent label still up to this day! For me, this is a punk classic that sounded great when I bought it in late '96 but it seems to get better and better with age!

A spoken intro "Time To Relax" lasts for about twenty five seconds before the first proper track "Nitro (Youth Energy)" begins. It's a perfect example of the band's trademark sound with power chords, Dexter's melodic tribal oooh chants, and a speed metal-like tempo. It also happens to be one of the album's best. There are three songs that were released as singles and are played on radio: "Come Out And Play" with its surf-rock inspired eastern riff dealing with school violence, "Self-Esteem" is about a "sucker with no self-esteem" in Holland's own words and "Gotta Get Away" with lyrics supposedly dealing with the pressure Holland felt about recording/completing the album on time. All three have what for Offspring are rather slow tempos.
Most of the songs here feature the more typical fast tempo with lyrical themes that range from insane driving ("Bad Habits") to political/social protest ("It'll Be A Long Time" and "Not The One"). "So Alone" is a one-minute hard core number while "What Happened To You" is an excellent alternative-ska composition with a short and sweet melodic solo in the middle. One of my favorites! In "Something To Believe In" the band uses a more metal based rhythm guitar attack but listen carefully in the middle of "Genocide" for a surf-rock influenced palm-muted two note riffing. Kind of similar to the surf-rock classic "Pipeline"! After the end, the narrator heard on the album's intro says "Hmm. . . I especially enjoyed that one. . . Let's see what's next!
The title cut shouldn't be overlooked since it is a gem! I liked the part in the middle where a different chord sequence is played with a repeating palm-muted riff! The chorus is really catchy as well! After its conclusion you'll hear the same voice heard on the intro saying goodbye to you. The main riff in "Genocide" (this time palm-muted) played on top of a percussion pattern from Welty follows. But wait! After a long silence you can hear the band jam to the eastern melody in "Come Out And Play"! Too bad it only lasts for a minute, I wish it was longer! Rounding out the tune stack is the cover "Killboy Powerhead" originally written by the punk group The Didjits.

If you like punk rock with speed/trash metal inspired tempos, then add this to your collection, you won't regret it!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later. . . .


Smash hits
. 3 1/2

Though its power-chorded repetitions can wear thin, one must admit that this marks another peak for punk-pop which only may fall second to Green Day's Dookie.


Takes me back.
I used to listen to this cd when I was in junior high, the sound is very nostalgic for me. Smash by Offspring was a great album for its time. The songs released Gotta Get Away, Self-Esteem, and Come Out and Play still hold up but the rest of the songs fall flat. Smash brings back a lot of great memories, but this album isn't perfect.


A classic
This album should never receiver anything less than 5 stars and people who score it less are those that just go against the grain for the sake of doing it.


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

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