Black President’s here y’all. You ready for it? Get ready for it. Welcome to some change I think we all can agree on, the debut self-titled release by punk rock quasi super group Black President. I’ve truely been looking forward to this release for some time and rest assured it does not disappoint. Black President was formed by Greg Hetson (Circle Jerks, Bad Religion) and Charlie Paulson (Goldfinger). Before the release of this recording, Hetson left the lineup due to conflicting obligations with other bands. If you want a rundown of the member history, checkout the Wikipedia entry. The band has since completed the roster with Jason Christopher (New Dead Radio) on bass and Roy Mayorga (Soulfly, Nausea) on drums. This release contains 14 old school hardcore punk tracks with a modern punk twist and no shortage of social and religious commentary. I don’t want to compartmentalize anymore than necessary to give you a big picture of what I’m listening to, but I’m thinking a mix of Bad Religion, Descendants and left leaning political fund raiser. Aside from the the obvious punk/rock trappings, be on the lookout for kickass little guitar frills and rock solid percussion. Whatever you do though don’t misconstrue the name of the band or the album as a tacit endorsement for any particular candidate. Instead, listen to the kick ass punk rock sounds and maybe think a little bit about who you really trust! Incidentally, the cover of Alice Cooper’s Elected is perhaps one of the best Alice Cooper covers I’ve heard to date … it brings a whole new meaning to “Rock the Vote”.

–Jerry Actually

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