Customer Reviews

Armageddon Massive

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Dingees recorded `Armageddon Massive', their first album, with Steve Kravac (Bad Religion, MxPx) at West Beach Studios in late 1997. Hepcat and Jump With Joey contribute horns on the album. The band's sound reminds me most of The Clash with reggae added to the mix. The Dingees are surprisingly polished for such a young band. Reggae, ska and punk listeners should find something palatable here. This is one great album!

The first time I listened to this disk and found the first two songs were punk, I put it back. But later while listening to a sampler disk, I found out that the Dingees are much more that punk. I purchased the disk and just love it. They jump from punk to ska add a little swing music along the way, then add a little number that is sort of calypso and then back to punk. While punk is not my favorite music, the Dingees do a vey respectable job of it. But I like the way the Dingees change music styles which makes this disk very easy to listen to as well as to dance to. I would recommend this album to anyone that likes ska and or swing.

AWSOME ALBUM, IF YOU LIKED ...AND OUT COME THE WOLVES. BUY THIS, NOT TO SAY THE BAND WAS TRYING TO SOUND LIKE RANCID CAUSE THEY HAVE THEYRE OWN STYLE ALL TO THEM SELVES.SONGS RANGING FROM SKA, REGGAE, 2TONE, PUNK, PUNK/SKA, AND ROLLS IT UP IN A GREAT PACKAGE.REBEL YOUTH IS AN AWSOME SONG. FOR FANS OF RANCID, CLASH,PENNYWISE,FISHBONE

Armageddon Massive is nothing short of a work of art. It is my fourth favorite album of all time, behind acts such as Metallica and Dire Straits.

From start to finish the album has the listener inthralled in the cool regae beats and edgy gutter-punk riffs. It is quite obvious the quartet took their cues from elders such as The Clash - with revolutionary anthems and tales of street living. (Except The Dingees are not British. Woo Hoo, score one for the American bands!!)

It would behoove those who enjoy Rancid and/or The Clash to give this masterpiece a listen, there are no let down's by this baby in sight.

The Dingees are definately for fans of Rancid and The Clash! Just sample track 2 and you'll be hooked alright. That is all I'm going to say, just download the clip and that will be all the help you'll need.

Armageddon Massive, the first outing from So. Cal's the Dingees is somewhat a relief for those fed up with the shallowness of rock music that can be found on any radio station at any time period. This album features some of the most refined sounds of roots punk, ska and reggae. This doesn't mean that the album sounds dated, either. The Dingees way of modernising roots punk rock a la the Clash is also heard in bands like The Bouncing Souls, The Dropkick Murphys, and Rancid. What also sets this record apart is how the Dingees play these styles without turning them into a 90's ska-punk soup. This is shown in where it so unpretentiously switches from 'Chaos Control,' the album's spirt-of-'77-anthem highlight, to 'Bulletproof,' a swingin catchy ska number, that wouldn't sound out-of-place on an Island Records Retrospect, save for the sound quality. The album goes one step further by including roots reggae and dub tracks 'Deadman' and 'Could Be Worse.' Other highlights include 'Rebel Youth,' a stomping ska anthem where influences such as Fishbone and the Selecter can be heard, as well as the album's closer, 'Escape to L.A.,' which recalls the 'naive-young-punk-rocker-in-a-big-town' imagery laden in 'Welcome to the Jungle' by Guns 'n Roses. If you want a break from the undignified, hit-seeking radio world, then this album is for you. Just dont tell the radio stations.

I must say, there has been a terrible glut of these ska-punk-reggae-nuclear isotope kids around lately. Fortunately, The Dingees (what is it, Dingy or Dinghy?) have their own sort of flavor to separate themselves from the pack. Out of the gate, the catchy, if a bit misunderstood, "Ghetto Box Smash" is an easy favorite for the album. The other offerings don't disappoint either, and a play-through doesn't follow the typical vein of good to worse to terrible so typical of some albums.

That being said, these kids have improved since this first CD and you should also check out "Sundown to Midnight" or "The Crucial Conspiracy." Or you could just play "Ghetto Box Smash" one last time.

You and your dinghys in the ghetto.

... are three obvious influences here! Young talent escapes an Orange County suburban garage and finds its way on to the shelves. Fast, gritty, ska-punk to listen to on a warm summer night, the Dingee's debut is scattered but contains a few unforgettable bass lines and even a couple interesting hooks. Recommended at full price to 16 year old boys, but certainly enjoyable to all those who can appreciate music.

This album is simply awesome! That is all I can say

The Dingees rock!! They have very distinguished vocals, and guitars. They do an awesome job at mixing punk, ska, and reggae, and making it sound real "popy" and "serious" They have made a music style of their own, and no one has been able to match it yet. You will like this CD if you like Squad five-0, Ghoti Hook, and Reel Big Fish