Generators Review

Under the Volcano:

The Generators "Excess, Betrayal… And Our Dearly Departed" (Fiend Music, POB 41470, Los Angeles, CA 90041). Originally a 2003 European-only release and unavailable in North America until now, Excess, Betrayal… has been revamped, remastered, and enhanced with five bonus tracks and a video clip. I've been an enthusiastic fan of The Generators since day one, so I'm understandably thrilled beyond belief to be reviewing their latest action-packed audio wonder. The sound has definitely matured in a contemplative, world-weary kind of way, and the thought-provoking lyrical content is both reflective and blatantly cutting. Each song is precisely crafted with the utmost of skill and pride, masterfully blending the infectious harmonics of Melodicore Punk with the frantic fury of straight-up, swaggering Rock 'n' Roll (as if Bad Religion and Social Distortion were twins separated at birth). "New Disease", "Crawling On Top", and "Here I Go" are just three of the stand-out tracks that hit me hard in the gut, causing my knees to buckle and the floor to part beneath me. The Generators are obviously still in top form, and I can only hope they keep belting out the tunes until I'm a deaf old man lying on my death bed. (CD)- Roger Moser, Jr.

Flex Your Head

Ironic that this band should be deemed The Generators since it reminds me a hell of a lot of Bad Religion right around their (wait for it) Generator album. Actually, maybe it's not irony, just a clever choice of names. Originally released in 2003 on Germany's People Like You Records, this strong album is finally finding a release in North America. Honestly, this could have been put out in 1993, not 2003, and no one would have known the difference; it recalls the days when bands like Pegboy, Naked Raygun, and the aforementioned BR took melodic punk, roughed it up a little, and came out the other end of the wind tunnel with something inspirational and hum-worthy. Jesus, a quick aside here; I just watched the included enhanced video and The Generators' singer looks like the cloned mix of Greg Graffin and the dude from Pennywise. Eerie. Well, luckily rest of the band doesn't look like anything like Bad Religion, so we're safe there. Fans of melodic, chunky punk rock just stumbled upon their new favorite band. Find it.

Jason Schreurs.

NeuFutur

Reviewed 07 March 2005

I first played The Generators on my radio show, and I was so blown away by "Roll Out The Red Carpet" that I had to go and review the disc. Immediately impressive about The Generators is that even two years after this album came out, the guitars are blazing, sizzling forward to close out each and every track. With each subsequent track on "Excess", the general sound gets more refined and dare I say poppy, moving from an intense punk sound for "Roll Out The Red Carpet" to more of a glam-rock feel for "New Disease". With each subsequent track, the general sound that The Generators strike me as trying to create is a better-produced Misfits meeting with the guitar virtuosity of Bad Religion. Far from being just a guitar-driven band, a track like "Thirty Seconds" shows Johnny Stash's incredible ability on the bass. In fact, the general sound of "Excess Betrayal" really has an analogue to Welt's earliest works.

Doug's vocals are distinctive, occupying the space in between Rise Against's lead vocalist and Mike Ness, making for a disc at all sections that one can identify. The incorporation of a piano roll during "Dying In A Rock & Roll Band" shows the ability of The Generators to successfully don the mantles of rockabilly for a short period, and even more than that, enlightens the listener base to the fact that The Generators are not one-trick ponies. Exploring their glam-rock side with a pseudo-ballad, "Transmitter", The Generators keep their listeners reeling with both the incorporation of this new style and a bare form of sympathy that will rend hearts and burn souls. By far, I have absolute no idea why this album did not come out in the US when it was first released, as this is some of the most impressive punk to come out to come out in the last decade!

"Excess, Betrayal..." needs to be placed alongside the other albums in the punk hall of fame, alongside such incredible works as Green Day's Dookie and the Sex Pistols' Nevermind the Bullocks. Moving skillfully and effortlessly through a myriad of genres, The Generators bring punk to its emotional maturity and make an album for the next generation of punk. If this album originally came out in 2003, chances are that The Generators are about done with another album. Here's to hoping they cut another disc in the near future!

Top Tracks: Lost in Transition, Roll Out The Red Carpet

Rating: 7.3/10

Aversion

Fans probably best know Doug "Dagger" Caine for his role as Schleprock's singer, which, really, isn't much of a distinction whatsoever. He should, however, be just as known for his role in The Generators' Excess Betrayal … Our Dearly Departed.

While the band doesn't lose track of its street-rock/oi! roots on this album (which is tipped, for reasons undisclosed by the band or its publicists, as the "lost" Generators records), it tempers it with a more straightforward rock'n'roll approach. The result is an album that sits somewhere between Social Distortion's punk'n'roll and the traditions blue-collar grit defended by hundreds of street-rock bands nationwide. The Generators, while risking the skinhead contingent in their fan base, tweak the formula just enough to emerge as one of the most soulful acts in the street-rock underground.

When the band opens Excess Betrayal with the chugging guitars and tuneful bass line of "Roll Out the Red Carpet," it's obvious it's had enough of putting up with street-rock conventions. Caine's vocals have never sounded better, as he drops the scratchy voice in favor for a silky delivery that could be mistaken for something Greg Graffin recorded for a recent Bad Religion record. On the rest of the album, the band looks beyond the borders of punk rock and oi! to reach for rock'n'roll elements. "Out of the Shadows" tears through a wickedly soulful guitar solo before the act blows into a rambling rock/punk hybrid that rests equally on AC/DC and Motorhead as Sham 69 and Cocksparrer's legacy. The allusions toward Social Distortion abound on every track, though in the grimy ballad "Transmitter" and "Skeletons" they're most apparent. While the band offers little in the way of dynamics, making the 14 tracks drag a little by the end of this album, it certainly knows how to rock'n'roll.

The Generators don't bite off Mike Ness' trademark sound, but instead channel street-punk energy into the same direction. It's not really a novel idea - the tie between no-frills rock'n'roll and punk should be glaringly obvious to everyone - but, nonetheless, it's rare that bands stress the rock'n'roll angle as heavily as The Generators do on this record. Just as important, however, is the fact that the band does it without turning its back on its punk past. Excess Betrayal is one of those rare records that the rock mainstream should be able to appreciate just as well as hard-edged street rockers.

- Matt Schild

Hellride Music

This 2003 album from The Generators, previously only available in Europe finally gets U.S. release. The Generators have been going since 1997 and most of the members have a history in the LA punk scene going way back before that. The years show...and not in a bad way. Sure they've mellowed a bit with age and this isn't exactly spitting fire and venom, but it's got heart, passion and a serious sense of maturity that lends weight to lyrical description of a dark period (recorded at a time when the band had experienced the loss of lifelong friends and family members).

There is only one use of the term Punk Rock in the promo sheet, they refer to themselves as a "rock n' roll band". And although the punk roots definitely show themselves clearly, "rock n' roll band" is far more appropriate. In a similar way to Social Distortion nowadays, they've moved beyond the boundaries of punk. The sound falls somewhere between modern day Social Distortion and Cock Sparrer (also a great "rock n' roll" band though usually thought of as part of the Oi!/Street Punk scene). Twin guitars surge with energy but come bearing serious amounts of melody. Vocalist Doug Dagger puts in the best vocal performance I've heard from him since the Schlep rock days bringing a stronger clarity and enunciation than past Generators efforts had to the throaty, rough vocal melodies. The rhythm section holds it all down admirably.

The use of acoustic guitar and piano on some tracks sounds totally natural and not at all contrived. Good songwriting of consistent quality tops it off. All in all a highly listenable affair and fitting evidence that to mature gracefully is entirely possible even from punk roots.

- Michael Ballue

Whisky Rebel

What we have here to my understanding is a band that achieved a significant amount of commercial recognition in the realm of modern commercial punk rock, played some damned big stages in this country and overseas...and then crashed and burned losing a couple band members along the perilous path of "success". Hell, the title spells that out.

Quite a few of the songs are a bit too civilized for my personal taste which tends to lean towards the bizarre and the tasteless, but I could say the same thing about David Allan Coe or the Buzzcocks. I always focus on songs that I like by acts like those and ignore tunes written in the interest of paying for the groceries as Jeff Clayton once put it. I want to extend the same courtest to the Generators.

There's a song on this CD that is so fucking good I declared it a table thumping smash the first time I heard it. It's titled "dying in a rock and roll band"..and it kicks fucking butt. I mean, it REALLY does. I'll be playing it for everybody that happens by my turntable probably for the next couple years. It perfectly reflects the immortal "what the fuck!" attitude that has inspired punk rock nihilists to carve their arms up, get shitfaced and romp around in a fun but stupid manner since 1977.

These guys are on the right side of the fence for sure. It's not easy to come up with even one timeless classic like "dying in a rock and roll band". I also like some of the other songs such as "wasting your time" which reminds me of many pests of both sexes I've known over the years, but HEY...how about that "Dying in a rock and roll band" song??

I must have 4 Buzzcocks LP's around here, but I always wind up playing "orgasm addict" and "noise annoys" over and over again in spite of the fact that they have other good songs. That's the way I'll likely deal with this CD....UURRPP. Got a problem with that???

- Phil Irwin

Splendid

Excess Betrayal... was released in Europe two years ago. To get it released in the US, The Generators had to struggle for a while. This is surprising, as the music sounds about as American as any band with a distinctly European vocalist can. It falls on the melodic end of the grunge spectrum, with sing-along choruses and guitars that range from heavy to video gamey. These songs are dedicated to dead family members (the titular Dearly Departed), who passed away one by one as The Generators recorded, but you wouldn't guess that from the music, either; the angst is reasonably well contained. The Generators are fun to listen to, whether they're losing close friends or not.

That context explains the album's indefinable gravitas. It could be chalked up to production, and maybe it should, but regardless, there's a palpable urgency in every one of these songs. The lyrical content and basic song format mirrors Alkaline Trio's work, but lacks their ironic detachment; where the trio might treat us to a witty quip about vampire bats, The Generators promise to die in a rock 'n' roll band.

Unfortunately, the band (or their label) felt charitable and gave us five more songs the Europeans didn't get. It's not that the bonus tracks are weak -- it's just that they weigh Excess Betrayal... down. The last of the extras, "All Brand New", recalls the Rolling Stones in "Paint it Black" mode nicely, so maybe it should stay. Otherwise... It's hard to listen to bands like The Generators for more than half an hour without variety or a break, and Excess Betrayal, in its original form, came in at right around that length. It probably would have been better to stop there.

-- Mike Meginnis

Aiding and Abetting

The Generators Excess Betrayal...and Our Dearly Departed (Fiend Music) If it hadn't been for The Empire Strikes First, a truly fine album, I would have said this was the best Bad Religion album I'd heard in years. Yeah, the Generators are a bit more ragged, but even the chord changes are quite similar. Which isn't a bad thing--melodic hardcore is always fun--but perhaps these boys might want to consider tweaking the sound just a bit.

Ear Candy

The trademark twin guitar attack of the Generators is back with a vengeance on their latest "Excess, Betrayal…And Our Dearly Departed". "Roll Out The Red Carpet" is appropriately enough the first track on the album and that's just what they do. You get the royal treatment from these guys when it comes to delivering the goods. Nine tracks plus five new bonus tracks and enhanced with the inclusion of the music video for the song "Thirty Seconds". Yeah, these guys know how to roll out the red carpet when it comes to rock n' roll. www.fiendmusic.com



	Under the Volcano: The Generators "Excess, Betrayal… And Our Dearly Departed" (Fiend Music, POB 41470, Los Angeles, CA 90041). Originally a 2003 European-only release and unavailable in North America until now, Excess, Betrayal… has been revamped, remastered, and enhanced with five bonus tracks and a video clip. I've been an enthusiastic fan of The Generators since day one, so I'm understandably thrilled beyond belief to be reviewing their latest action-packed audio wonder. The sound has definitely matured in a contemplative, world-weary kind of way, and the thought-provoking lyrical content is both reflective and blatantly cutting. Each song is precisely crafted with the utmost of skill and pride, masterfully blending the infectious harmonics of Melodicore Punk with the frantic fury of straight-up, swaggering Rock 'n' Roll (as if Bad Religion and Social Distortion were twins separated at birth). "New Disease", "Crawling On Top", and "Here I Go" are just three of the stand-out tracks that hit me hard in the gut, causing my knees to buckle and the floor to part beneath me. The Generators are obviously still in top form, and I can only hope they keep belting out the tunes until I'm a deaf old man lying on my death bed. (CD)- Roger Moser, Jr. Flex Your Head Ironic that this band should be deemed The Generators since it reminds me a hell of a lot of Bad Religion right around their (wait for it) Generator album. Actually, maybe it's not irony, just a clever choice of names. Originally released in 2003 on Germany's People Like You Records, this strong album is finally finding a release in North America. Honestly, this could have been put out in 1993, not 2003, and no one would have known the difference; it recalls the days when bands like Pegboy, Naked Raygun, and the aforementioned BR took melodic punk, roughed it up a little, and came out the other end of the wind tunnel with something inspirational and hum-worthy. Jesus, a quick aside here; I just watched the included enhanced video and The Generators' singer looks like the cloned mix of Greg Graffin and the dude from Pennywise. Eerie. Well, luckily rest of the band doesn't look like anything like Bad Religion, so we're safe there. Fans of melodic, chunky punk rock just stumbled upon their new favorite band. Find it. Jason Schreurs. NeuFutur Reviewed 07 March 2005 I first played The Generators on my radio show, and I was so blown away by "Roll Out The Red Carpet" that I had to go and review the disc. Immediately impressive about The Generators is that even two years after this album came out, the guitars are blazing, sizzling forward to close out each and every track. With each subsequent track on "Excess", the general sound gets more refined and dare I say poppy, moving from an intense punk sound for "Roll Out The Red Carpet" to more of a glam-rock feel for "New Disease". With each subsequent track, the general sound that The Generators strike me as trying to create is a better-produced Misfits meeting with the guitar virtuosity of Bad Religion. Far from being just a guitar-driven band, a track like "Thirty Seconds" shows Johnny Stash's incredible ability on the bass. In fact, the general sound of "Excess Betrayal" really has an analogue to Welt's earliest works. Doug's vocals are distinctive, occupying the space in between Rise Against's lead vocalist and Mike Ness, making for a disc at all sections that one can identify. The incorporation of a piano roll during "Dying In A Rock & Roll Band" shows the ability of The Generators to successfully don the mantles of rockabilly for a short period, and even more than that, enlightens the listener base to the fact that The Generators are not one-trick ponies. Exploring their glam-rock side with a pseudo-ballad, "Transmitter", The Generators keep their listeners reeling with both the incorporation of this new style and a bare form of sympathy that will rend hearts and burn souls. By far, I have absolute no idea why this album did not come out in the US when it was first released, as this is some of the most impressive punk to come out to come out in the last decade! "Excess, Betrayal..." needs to be placed alongside the other albums in the punk hall of fame, alongside such incredible works as Green Day's Dookie and the Sex Pistols' Nevermind the Bullocks. Moving skillfully and effortlessly through a myriad of genres, The Generators bring punk to its emotional maturity and make an album for the next generation of punk. If this album originally came out in 2003, chances are that The Generators are about done with another album. Here's to hoping they cut another disc in the near future! Top Tracks: Lost in Transition, Roll Out The Red Carpet Rating: 7.3/10 Aversion Fans probably best know Doug "Dagger" Caine for his role as Schleprock's singer, which, really, isn't much of a distinction whatsoever. He should, however, be just as known for his role in The Generators' Excess Betrayal … Our Dearly Departed. While the band doesn't lose track of its street-rock/oi! roots on this album (which is tipped, for reasons undisclosed by the band or its publicists, as the "lost" Generators records), it tempers it with a more straightforward rock'n'roll approach. The result is an album that sits somewhere between Social Distortion's punk'n'roll and the traditions blue-collar grit defended by hundreds of street-rock bands nationwide. The Generators, while risking the skinhead contingent in their fan base, tweak the formula just enough to emerge as one of the most soulful acts in the street-rock underground. When the band opens Excess Betrayal with the chugging guitars and tuneful bass line of "Roll Out the Red Carpet," it's obvious it's had enough of putting up with street-rock conventions. Caine's vocals have never sounded better, as he drops the scratchy voice in favor for a silky delivery that could be mistaken for something Greg Graffin recorded for a recent Bad Religion record. On the rest of the album, the band looks beyond the borders of punk rock and oi! to reach for rock'n'roll elements. "Out of the Shadows" tears through a wickedly soulful guitar solo before the act blows into a rambling rock/punk hybrid that rests equally on AC/DC and Motorhead as Sham 69 and Cocksparrer's legacy. The allusions toward Social Distortion abound on every track, though in the grimy ballad "Transmitter" and "Skeletons" they're most apparent. While the band offers little in the way of dynamics, making the 14 tracks drag a little by the end of this album, it certainly knows how to rock'n'roll. The Generators don't bite off Mike Ness' trademark sound, but instead channel street-punk energy into the same direction. It's not really a novel idea - the tie between no-frills rock'n'roll and punk should be glaringly obvious to everyone - but, nonetheless, it's rare that bands stress the rock'n'roll angle as heavily as The Generators do on this record. Just as important, however, is the fact that the band does it without turning its back on its punk past. Excess Betrayal is one of those rare records that the rock mainstream should be able to appreciate just as well as hard-edged street rockers. - Matt Schild Hellride Music This 2003 album from The Generators, previously only available in Europe finally gets U.S. release. The Generators have been going since 1997 and most of the members have a history in the LA punk scene going way back before that. The years show...and not in a bad way. Sure they've mellowed a bit with age and this isn't exactly spitting fire and venom, but it's got heart, passion and a serious sense of maturity that lends weight to lyrical description of a dark period (recorded at a time when the band had experienced the loss of lifelong friends and family members). There is only one use of the term Punk Rock in the promo sheet, they refer to themselves as a "rock n' roll band". And although the punk roots definitely show themselves clearly, "rock n' roll band" is far more appropriate. In a similar way to Social Distortion nowadays, they've moved beyond the boundaries of punk. The sound falls somewhere between modern day Social Distortion and Cock Sparrer (also a great "rock n' roll" band though usually thought of as part of the Oi!/Street Punk scene). Twin guitars surge with energy but come bearing serious amounts of melody. Vocalist Doug Dagger puts in the best vocal performance I've heard from him since the Schlep rock days bringing a stronger clarity and enunciation than past Generators efforts had to the throaty, rough vocal melodies. The rhythm section holds it all down admirably. The use of acoustic guitar and piano on some tracks sounds totally natural and not at all contrived. Good songwriting of consistent quality tops it off. All in all a highly listenable affair and fitting evidence that to mature gracefully is entirely possible even from punk roots. - Michael Ballue Whisky Rebel What we have here to my understanding is a band that achieved a significant amount of commercial recognition in the realm of modern commercial punk rock, played some damned big stages in this country and overseas...and then crashed and burned losing a couple band members along the perilous path of "success". Hell, the title spells that out. Quite a few of the songs are a bit too civilized for my personal taste which tends to lean towards the bizarre and the tasteless, but I could say the same thing about David Allan Coe or the Buzzcocks. I always focus on songs that I like by acts like those and ignore tunes written in the interest of paying for the groceries as Jeff Clayton once put it. I want to extend the same courtest to the Generators. There's a song on this CD that is so fucking good I declared it a table thumping smash the first time I heard it. It's titled "dying in a rock and roll band"..and it kicks fucking butt. I mean, it REALLY does. I'll be playing it for everybody that happens by my turntable probably for the next couple years. It perfectly reflects the immortal "what the fuck!" attitude that has inspired punk rock nihilists to carve their arms up, get shitfaced and romp around in a fun but stupid manner since 1977. These guys are on the right side of the fence for sure. It's not easy to come up with even one timeless classic like "dying in a rock and roll band". I also like some of the other songs such as "wasting your time" which reminds me of many pests of both sexes I've known over the years, but HEY...how about that "Dying in a rock and roll band" song?? I must have 4 Buzzcocks LP's around here, but I always wind up playing "orgasm addict" and "noise annoys" over and over again in spite of the fact that they have other good songs. That's the way I'll likely deal with this CD....UURRPP. Got a problem with that??? - Phil Irwin Splendid Excess Betrayal... was released in Europe two years ago. To get it released in the US, The Generators had to struggle for a while. This is surprising, as the music sounds about as American as any band with a distinctly European vocalist can. It falls on the melodic end of the grunge spectrum, with sing-along choruses and guitars that range from heavy to video gamey. These songs are dedicated to dead family members (the titular Dearly Departed), who passed away one by one as The Generators recorded, but you wouldn't guess that from the music, either; the angst is reasonably well contained. The Generators are fun to listen to, whether they're losing close friends or not. That context explains the album's indefinable gravitas. It could be chalked up to production, and maybe it should, but regardless, there's a palpable urgency in every one of these songs. The lyrical content and basic song format mirrors Alkaline Trio's work, but lacks their ironic detachment; where the trio might treat us to a witty quip about vampire bats, The Generators promise to die in a rock 'n' roll band. Unfortunately, the band (or their label) felt charitable and gave us five more songs the Europeans didn't get. It's not that the bonus tracks are weak -- it's just that they weigh Excess Betrayal... down. The last of the extras, "All Brand New", recalls the Rolling Stones in "Paint it Black" mode nicely, so maybe it should stay. Otherwise... It's hard to listen to bands like The Generators for more than half an hour without variety or a break, and Excess Betrayal, in its original form, came in at right around that length. It probably would have been better to stop there. -- Mike Meginnis Aiding and Abetting The Generators Excess Betrayal...and Our Dearly Departed (Fiend Music) If it hadn't been for The Empire Strikes First, a truly fine album, I would have said this was the best Bad Religion album I'd heard in years. Yeah, the Generators are a bit more ragged, but even the chord changes are quite similar. Which isn't a bad thing--melodic hardcore is always fun--but perhaps these boys might want to consider tweaking the sound just a bit. Ear Candy The trademark twin guitar attack of the Generators is back with a vengeance on their latest "Excess, Betrayal…And Our Dearly Departed". "Roll Out The Red Carpet" is appropriately enough the first track on the album and that's just what they do. You get the royal treatment from these guys when it comes to delivering the goods. Nine tracks plus five new bonus tracks and enhanced with the inclusion of the music video for the song "Thirty Seconds". Yeah, these guys know how to roll out the red carpet when it comes to rock n' roll. www.fiendmusic.com