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Vendetta Red - Between the Never and the Now
Epic, 2003
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Seattle transplants Vendetta Red come with the goods on their major-label debut, combining the best parts of hardcore and (gasp!) emo to pack a pretty decent wallop. Obviously haters of the whole screamo tip will be biased from the start, but for a genre overloaded with crap – this is a pretty solid release. Lead vocalist Zach Davidson and company boil down the essence of hardcore and combine it with some mighty guitar workouts, and thankfully avoid the most clichéd of emo lyrics. A little darker and harder than your standard TRL punk fare, Vendetta Red proves the genre isn’t a complete dead horse just yet.

NOFX - The War on Errorism
Fat Wreck Chords, 2003
buy it here

NOFX goes political? Not quite, although Fat Mike acknowledges America’s sad state of affairs as a motivator for some of the lyrics on the new album. Despite the Bush-provoking artwork and liner notes, the good time elder statesmen of punk haven’t gone all Anti-Flag on the latest release. The boys manage to protest American politics, while gently swiping at the angry left at the same time. Throw in some classic NOFX tracks like “Whoops, I OD’d” and “She’s Nubs”, and a hilarious take on aging punks, the boys put out one of their more solid albums of the past few years.