Ramones, Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, old Lookout Records, Fat Wreck Chords,
Sounds Like
bouncing souls, jawbreaker, face to face, pinhead gunpowder, nofx, bad religion, rancid, screeching weasel, against me, american steel, neil diamond, ramones, spice girls, dropkick murphys, ducky boys, briggs, clash, jefferson starship, replacements, jefferson starship (yes..i know we said this twice, but it's important)
This CD featres a clean, tight production where each member of the trio's instruments come through clear in the mix. Really nice bass tone and good vocal harmonies, all in melodic songs with enough gruffness to keep them from being overly poppy. Think Sqirtgun, Face to Face, maybe even a bit of old Sludgeworth and Jawbreaker too. This is a strong CD all the way through, with stand-out tracks for me being 'The Road to Self-Sufficiency' and 'Conventional.' Fans of upbeat melodic punk with intensity and personal lyrics shold eat this up and come back for more. - Ramsey Kanaan
Jersey Beat
Jersey Beat Another December release, another sophomore full-length, and another record I'm going to have to seriously consider for my year end Best Of lists, Relapse should appeal to fans of the Bouncing Souls, or anyone who likes big catchy choruses infused with working-class punk-rock energy. The band's not afraid to take on political targets (American education, Iraq) as well as soul-searching indictments of their own shortcomings (as on the brutal title track.) I've always loved trios and The Challenged make perfect use of that special balance you get when drums, bass, and guitars all contribute equally to a band's power. Even better, all three members of the band sing, so along with rousing call-and-response vocal parts and three-part harmonies, the Challenged can come across as blue-collar hardcore kids like the Dropkick Murphys or Jawbreaker-ish pop/punkers, depending on who's taking the lead vocal. With new drummer Mike, this band has sharpened its sound and broadened its songwriting, and mark my words, they're going to be a force to be reckoned with in the New York punk scene. – Jim Testa
Jersey Beat
Why The Challenged aren't a staple on the radio or MTV-type show (ouch !) is beyond me. Songs like "Road to Self-Sufficiency" and "Cracking Under Pressure" are full of straight-up, high energy punk rock. The lyrics and the music are basic: Loud, brash, and totally danceable pop punk rock, with a melodic edge (sounds like they've been
listening to their Bouncing Souls albums), and sometimes snotty lyrics. I wouldn't have it any other way! It always raises my spirit and gives me goose bumps when a band puts their hearts on their sleeves and gives it their all. Nobody's going to mistake The Challenged for the saviors of rock 'n' roll, but when it comes to their infectious grooves, hits, and near-misses, it's just about impossible not to kick your chair away from the table and sing and dance along to the entire album! -Phil Rainone
Punk Rock Review
I can't put to words how fucking great this album is! The instrumental piece is flawlessly upbeat, but intense at the same time. The lyrics are written with blood, sweat & tears that you can feel through the speakers. Ok, so the best way to describe the sound of The Challenged on this album is if you took the musical diversity & vocal sound of Pinhead Gunpowder and combined it with the lyrical intelligence of Blake Schwarzenbach of Jawbreaker fame. Really that's all you have to say to realize how impressive RELAPSE is. -Jonny Taint
Maximum
Rock N' Roll
THE
CHALLENGED think they are the last pop-punk band left in Brooklyn, and
maybe that's true. Their music resides in the well worn and loved territory
of RAMONES-core, but instead of the usual SCREECHING WEASEL knockoff,
they pull off their own brand of the sound nicely. Vocals sound a lot
like a younger Billie Joe Armstrong, you know when he was still a snotty
teenager, not just playing one on TV.(8 song CD, lyrics included. www.thechallenged.com)(Ariel)
Guillotine
Zine
The
Challenged, who sound like they escaped from the vaults of early Lookout
Records territory -- and that's not a bad thing, folks. Hearing this stuff
made me think of the early 90's and what fun that time period was. And
how much I miss it along with places like Coney Island High who would
have put this band on a bill in seconds flat!! If you come across this
disc, snap it up...I mean that with the utmost seriousness !!! Hard to
believe that something that sounds this fun actually came from Guidoville,
USA.... --db
Fall
of Autumn.com
Snotty
and raw - the first two words to come to mind after popping in this disc.
The Challenged hammer home 8 pop punk tracks on their first EP "Home
Is Where You Hate It." This record brings back plenty of good warm
thoughts, making me remember why I fell in love with punk rock in the
first place. "Home Is Where You Hate It" has plenty of fast
paced, fist pumping, head bobbing energy. Lyrically The Challenged have
a healthy mix of semi-political tunes, personal stories, and fun sing-a-longs.
At a mere 5 bucks, you really can't pass this one up.
Mutiny
Zine (Sweden)
The
Challenged is simple poppy punk rock that makes me nod my head and tap
my feet. In some way these guys from Brooklyn remind me of the old FAT
Wreck comps. that I used to listen to years ago. That's not a bad thing.
As far as I know this type of music is not as common as it used to be.
It's good to hear that someone is still playing it! My favorite tracks
are "Think Positive" and "5 Years in A Time Capsule".
I like this record and you should check it out!
/CD
i just watched all of your videos that you have up on youtube. that shit is pretty good. for real, i like your sound a lot. its loud and hits hard but is really melodic. i'm definitely buying rounds at the next show. well done, sirs.
did you guys know that that scene in The Sopranos where Vito gets caught blowing a dude in his car on the construction site is loosely inspired by an event involving Colin? I say "loosely" because Colin got caught blowing a dude in a port-a-potty. So as you can tell, it was a little bit different.
2. Many video's focus on the best looking member of the band (see Goo Goo Dolls with Johnny Goo, Green Day with Billie Joel and Jay-Z)...my suggestion is that you guys focus on the best looking member of the band..oh wait...nevermind.
3. More Iron Maiden references. I will also accept more Wisconsin references and/or Point Beer.
4. When the band jumps into the box, Burger is last..but jumping out of the garbage bin he's first...do you guys go through a gravitional space-time wormhole?
5. Who has smellier deuces Colin or Rob? My guess is Colin because he likes Point Beer and when I have Point Beer my wife makes me sleep on the couch.
Thanks to the crew for letting me linger around for a bit. It was great seeing (and meeting) everyone again. Thanks to Rob and Colin for the wonderful posts.
