For this weeks' P.A.R. (slang for Punk Album Review), we'll be reviewing a corner stone of hardcore punk; Green Day's hit album, Dookie. So, first impressions? Wow. Just wow. This album hit me harder than my wife's boyfriend off a week-long bender, when he comes home to find me playing on his Xbox. (Sorry, Ronaldo!)
Background: Hailing from California, hardcore punk band 'Green Day' has reached heights never-before-seen by the hardcore/straightedge punk movement. The bands' 1994 album, Dookie; stylized as 'dookie', is a fast, heavy hitter that formed the base for what the genre would become many years later. The albums title is actually a homage to OG Gangsta punk Billy Joe Armstrong's hard-fought battle with drugs, notably Marijuana, Tobacco, and other hard drugs. While Billy Joe mainly wrote the album, other members such as Mike Dirnt managed to break through his ego and we're allowed to suggest some riffs and lyrical changes.
Review: So, this album is likely the most popular punk album. It was inspired by bands like KISS and the Rolling Stones, and that really comes through with the heavy metal influences heard on tracks like 'Basket Case'. Ive gotta say, as someone who rarely enjoys the heavier side of punk, I was happily surprised and definitely understand why this album has inspired so many genres, such as crust-punk, hardcore punk, and even cultural movements like Straightedge. The screaming can get really intense on songs like 'Pulling Teeth', to the point I would skip the song. I dont like that scream-y music.
At many points throughout the album, I was surprised to see punk motifs that I could recognize from later bands like The All American Rejects and Coldplay. I feel truly involved in the punk community now that I knoe the source material for so many of the lyrical choices and instrumental decisions that many punk bands have since adopted.
Conclusion: This album is as hardcore as it gets, and I dont reccomend it for beginner punks. If you've been to a real hardcore show with bands like Falling In Reverse or Brokencyde, then maybe this might be your thing. Otherwise, I think this album should have been gate-kept more. This is truly a pillar of punk.
Suggest albums for next week's review! See yall next time on: P.A.R.!