Customer Reviews

Land of the Free?

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Land of the free is more powerful than From the ashes(not that FTA don't rock, it rocks trust me!) for some reasons, it has a type a punch on this one that isn't on other PW albums, which make the mood of the album really louder and powerful!

That's the question I hear alot from people when they give their first listen. Yes it is Pennywise, and their return this year with "Land of the free?" is being hailed by some and criticized by others. Personally, I think this was a great return from Pennywise after being absent for some time, and their new anti-political attitude is actually quite enjoyable. Now don't get me wrong, this is the same group you learned to love on "About time", with intense guitar work, fast drumming and great lyrics. The real difference between this release and their earlier works rests in the lyrics, which are aimed at the United States Government, and the recent violet WTO riots. Everything seems to come together quite nicly as one fast paced, over the edge punk rock formula. Defintely worth it for Pennywise fans, and a great experience for newcomers.

I was incredibly excited to get this new Pennywise album. I had downloaded two songs from Pennywisdom.com "The World" and "Time Marches On" and boy howdee was I pumped for June 19th! Unfortunately, I was not as happy with the new album as I had hoped to be. Some of the songs seem a bit old and the lyrics of couple songs like "My God," while strong in message, lacked some of the more inspiration found on earlier albums. BUT that is not to say that the album should not be bought because some of the tracks, "The World", "F**k Authority," and "Time Marches On" being the strongest, are every bit as intense, powerful, and insightful as anything they've done. As soon as the crowd is cut off by Fletcher's guitar on "Time Marches On," I felt the pulse-pounding, guitar riffs, coursing through my veins, sending my head into convulsions as my teeth began to rumble and crack from the sheer force of the sound assaulting me from my stereo. There is filler on this album, but there are enough standout tracks also present to make this album a must buy for any Pennywise album. As was made evident on the previous album, "Straight Ahead," Pennywise is starting to mature. Good bands do. Though I wouldn't reccomend this album to anybody just beginning to discover the musical force that is Pennywise (It doesn't have the fluidity and consistency of past releases like"About Time" and "Full Circle") I definitely would reccomend it to the true believers. "Land of the Free" isn't their greatest album, but was most assuredly not discouraging and if Pennywise continue on as they did on "Land of the Free" I will look forward to the next album (And their current Warped Tour dates!) and every release after that.

Pennywise is one of the few bands where when I only heard one album, I ended up immediately getting all of their others. This was probably over a year ago or so, and they still continue to be one of my most listened-to bands. I've enjoyed all of their stuff, and "Land of the Free?" is certainly no exception.

The album has great music that feels both ferocious and urgent. As with all of their other works, "Land of the Free?" deals with anger when it comes to politics, religion and society. With a title like "Land of the Free?" that is something you immediately expect. Although you do not have to agree with their point-of-view to enjoy their tunes, there will be those who might be put off by the music. Songs can be fast and intense ("Land of the Free?" "Something Wrong with Me," "WTO"), and some numbers can be a little slower but still powerful nonetheless ("Anyone Listening," "My God," "Divine Intervention").

While I enjoy the entire album, favorite tracks of mine would be "F*** Authority," "Land of the Free?" "Something Wrong with Me," "Divine Intervention," "My God," "Who's On Your Side," "WTO" and the powerful closer, "Anyone Listening."

"Land of the Free?" is a great Pennywise album for long-time fans and newcomers. While it may not be for everyone, I have to say that it has some killer guitar riffs and lyrics. Songs will easily get stuck in your head even after just one listen. If you haven't had a chance to check out Pennywise, I strongly encourage you to check out some of their tracks and see if they're something you'd like. That's what happened to me. I only heard a few songs by them and I was instantly hooked. A great addition to the already large Pennywise catalogue. - Michael Crane

This CD is amazing. Best songs, Land of the Free?, F*** Authority and WTO. Anyone who likes Pennywise should buy it.

Yeah, oh hell yeah. I've been waiting for an album like this for a long time. I think the punk community has been waiting for this album for a long time.
Seperating away from punk for a second, this is what rock and roll is all about. Music utilized to get people to think, respond and get active, it's brilliant.
I have to disagree with the guy who says My God is an atheist anthem. While it does speak out against organized religion and corruption there really isn't any overlying atheist message here. I can wait for our true atheist anthem, and this one will certainly tide me over until then. Christians still won't like it.
The World is not especially hard, but it is driven, and the harmony on the chorus is inspiring.
There are a lot of songs on this album that rank as some of the best punk songs ever. It will scare the posers back into the safe warm radio friendly harbor of Creed.
Also I have to agree with the person who says this album sounds a little too polished. I would have preferred to hear a raw underproduced style, but oh well it's still great.

Pennywise has been churning out Hardcore in the tradition of Bad Religion since their '92 debut. Their newest album carries on this formula of quick lyrics and tight riffs backed by solid melodies and the "ooohing ahhhs" on which Epitaph likely holds a patent.
The album is remarkably consistant with previous Pennywise fare but doesn't seem the least bit stale. There's nothing flashy here- just raw power that grabs the listener and says "We're going for a little ride".

After 2 years Pennywise is back with the follow up to 99's masterpiece "Straight Ahead". Though a solid effort from the band, I can't help but feel a little disappointed. The reason: there is little or no progression from the last album to this one. With the release of the song "Alien" on Straight Ahead Pennywise looked to be expanding their horizons. But this album finds them repeating themselves. There is a fine line between a band "staying true to their sound", and repeating themselves, and Pennywise are getting dangerously close. Even on the production they take a step back. Whereas the guitars were clean on SA, here there is too much bottom end in the mix, and the sound is too thick. The drums, usually a highlight on Pennywise albums, suffer here from a dull, warm sound. They should have gone with a punchier higher pitch snare. (Check out the snare on Straight Ahead, and see there is no comparison.) There are some standout tracks here: The World, My God, Divine Intervention, and WTO, rock like classic Pennywise. I was just hoping for a bit more...

Pennywise is the best punk band. Its pretty simple, all of there songs kick ass and anyone who doesnt like them deserves to die. The guy way op in the first 20 review who gave away all his cd's cause he "lost his support for pennywise" he deserves to be brutally tortured, then die. If you like punk rock theres no reason not to buy this cd or any of pennywise' other cds.

Sometimes you have to go backward to make progress, which is just what Pennywise have done.

Teetering on the brink of total commercial lameness with previous studio outing `Straight Ahead', the band have gone back to the garage, and dragged themselves away from the precipice. Gone are the "nice" Offspring/Green Day guitars, the slick commercial production and the sickly pop songs. Back are velocity, rough edges and attitude.

In the old days, Fletcher's guitar playing buzzed along like Thrash Metal minus the crunch and the solos, something akin to what Suicidal Tendencies produced on their debut or Johnny Ramone speeding on a potent batch of amphetamines. The drumming has been not far behind. Both disappeared in recent years, but have thankfully returned. Also back are the yobbo shout-along choruses. And perhaps most importantly, Pennywise have resuscitated their social conscience. There's no escaping the socio-political messages, but there's none of the overbearing PC preachiness of bands like Propagandhi and Anti-Flag. The entire sound is reminiscent of a turbo driven Bad Religion. The Bad Religion comparison is perhaps not too far fetched, as Brett Gurewitz co-wrote one of the tracks

Lead off single "F**k Authority" is probably a bit obvious in its aim to escape the grips of FM radio and MTVapidity, but that doesn't make it a bad song. It's a catchy high velocity So-Cal punk song with a bit of a political message. And the rest of the album is pretty much standard Pennywise. If you've heard the 'About Time' album, then you've basically heard what's happening here. There are plentiful Bad Religion-isms to be found. The vocal melodies are poppy, but not pop - its just Pennywise doing what they do best. It's an excellent accompaniment for boarding, whether it be surf, skate or snow, but with more of a political bite than in the past. If it opens the eyes of even a few more blissfully ignorant teens to what's happening in the world, then great. If not, it's still a return to form for Pennywise.