Disco de Pennywise: “From the Ashes”

Truth be told, Pennywise has been releasing essentially the same album since Full Circle. It hurts to admit this as Pennywise was one of my favorite bands when I was in high school but they've lost the magic long ago. It wasn't always so. If you look at their first three records there's a huge amount of change and progression from record to record on all levels. From production, to songwriting to vocals, they were pushing the boundaries of their talent on each record. It all came together on About Time, arguably the most classic example of this kind of punk rock around.

So the big difference back then was every time a new Pennywise album came out you could get truly excited as you were assured they would be flexing their musical chops to the limit. So of course there was that slight pang of disappointment when I put From The Ashes on for the first time and heard pretty much the same song from their last album and the one before that and the one...Don't get me wrong, I still really like Pennywise but they remind more of the Ramones. Sure they make a lot of similar albums but that doesn't mean I don't own every one!

As far as consistency is concerned, this album does not disappoint. It's what you expect from Pennywise - fast, catchy sing along melodic punk with overtly political lyrics. And, like their last few albums, you can count on a few truly stand out songs that really stick in your head. On From The Ashes these tend to happen at the end of the record so you have to have a bit of patience to get to the good stuff.

If you're a casual Pennywise fan you're much better off buying their earlier work as that is really some of the best examples of the early 90's SoCal punk revival movement (along with Bad Religion of course). If you're a die-hard like me then you will definitely find some solid cuts on this record but you'll also find a few that just seem to be treading water. Of course that's why they made the skip button.

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in my opinion this may not be the best pennywise album.... about time.... but it is probably the catchiest. every song has great melodies and you find yourself listening again and again... at least i did. the best songs are now i know, waiting, yesterdays & judgement day... a must have for any pop/punk fan

Pennywise has long since been my favorite. We've spent more time together than any band I've ever listened (except maybe Bad Religion). Almost ten years since I heard my first Pennywise album "About Time", I find that their latest release "From The Ashes", is just as amazing as anything previous they've done. Pennywise has never felt pressure from the media or other bands to be different. At a time in music where it's very popular to change your sound all the time, especially for money, Pennywise is the breathe of fresh air that we all need. Pennywise has never made a bad record, and I didn't think they'd start with this one, and they didn't.

The album leads off with the energetic "Now I Know" which is the good old Pennywise we've always loved. Hard and fast, with plenty of melodies mixed in there. Jim's voice is just as good as ever, and Fletcher and Randy's backing vocals are great. "God Save the USA" is up next and a good political commentary that you would expect from the guys. "Waiting" is one of my favorite songs on the album. Has a great guitar solo, lots of energy and very good lyrics. A lot of songs on this album follow that patten, like "Falling Down" and "Something To Change". The first single "Holiday in the Sun" (which is not a cover) is the perfect way to be introduced to the band. "Punch Drunk", "Rise Up" and "Yesterdays" are great ones that any fan of Pennywise will love. "This is only a test" uses something that's never been in a Pennywise song before, and that's an acoustic guitar, At the beginning when Jim is singing "This is only a test". However the best song on the album has to be the closer "Judgement Days". The lyris and music are just so amazing. Every time I listen to it I get the same feeling. It's just so good, and another song that won't dissapoint. The album rounds out at about 41:00, which is a good time.

The Bonus DVD included (if you get the special addition) is a nice touch to the cd. It's a good insight into the process of making the record. It also has some footage of the road, and some lives songs, which is just icing on the cake. Some bits of Pennywise's banned in a America video "Home Movies" are on here too, which is cool for people who haven't seen it. Although you can't be "Home Movies" (at least not in the U.S) there's plenty of places you can download it from on the internet if you really want to see it. I forget how long exactly the DVD is, but anything that's free and about Pennywise is worth it.

This album is constantly in my cd player and my car. Even almost a year and a half after it was released, it's still captivating me every time I listen to it. I can't wait to hear the new record Pennywise is planning to release this year. If it's anything like this one, I know it will be great. This one is definitely a nice step up from the less than stellar "Land of The Free". If you don't own this and you're a Pennywise fan, then you need to get it. What are you "Waiting" for?

From The Ashes is one of my favorite albums, it's definately worth buying, even though it isn't that cheap.

"From the Ashes" stays action packed through the whole album, it has a great opener which is followed up by "God save the USA" which is also a great song. Soon after that is 'waiting', which I think is the best song on the album, and then the rest of the songs which are really cool also.

The album has a couple weak points, I think one of them is "this is a test", I think it's a really boring song.

I was also disappointed that there weren't as many great guitar solos as there are on 'full circle', so if that's what you're interested in maybe pick up that album first.

This album is still worth buying though, you'll enjoy it

This album is very typical of Pennywise - meaning it's good, but its pretty much the same exact sound they've always had. Not that it's a bad sound, its quite good, and this is definately a breath of fresh air in a current sea of wimpy emo bands crowding the punk scene. It would just be nice for them to try something different for once.