After surviving a harsh major-label tug-of- war, Boston-based powerhouse The Explosion blasts back unto the market with its second full-length studio album, Black Tape. Now signed with Virgin Records, it is one of the few punk rock bands ever endorsed by the label. Guitarist Dave Walsh says the Explosion’s Virgin debut will “blow anything we’ve done out of the water.” Indeed, it has.
The Explosion was founded in 1998 by Walsh and lead singer Matt Hock, establishing a reputation as one of America’s toughest punk rock and roll bands. Leading a dynamic rock revitalization, the band has proven to be a relentless touring machine throughout its career. Spending a year and a half writing and producing Black Tape, it’s more than any ordinary punk-rock record. It’s a complete thought that draws from past experiences. Every song includes more time and energy than anything it has ever previously done.
With 12 energetic, fist-pumping, guitar-radiating singles, Black Tape is a perfect buy for any punk-rock junkie. The first single of the album, “Here I Am,” shows that the band will quickly stop being an underground sensation. Starting off with a throbbing electric guitar intro combined with raunchy lyrics, it serves as a solid foundation for the rest of the album. Other hits include “Atrocity,” “Filthy Insane” and “Go Blank.”
In general, the Explosion’s Black Tape serves as a building block for the band’s future mainstream success. Every single is “fist-pumping and serves as a melody-gushing punk rock anthem” for today’s punk-rock musical style.
Keith Preciados can be contacted at k.preciados@umiami.edu.