More Than Normal is UK’s punk rock, wait! Better make that punk rock, at its finest. The punk rock trio hails from Dover, England and boy what a punch do they pack! As any punk fan may be aware, punk is a dying breed with so few quality punk bands in this day and age. More Than Normal is definitely one of the few punk rock gems hidden in the rough.
Their debut album “Honour Amongst Thieves” is as solid as it gets. The album starts off with a simple guitar riff that is accompanied by the bass and then drums, the bass and drums pick up tempo, a screeching pick slide and you feel the raw power as the distortion kicks in. The instrumentals are very dynamic and change often within each track and they change up their style from song to song which is good for keeping your attention. I like their take on having one guitar in the band as it doesn’t convolute things and keep things airy and simple which lets more of the bass through. In general the instrumentals are “happy sounding” and will have you snapping your fingers or bobbing your head up and down. The album consists of 13 upbeat catchy punk ballads and ends with a chill acoustic track. The album takes a good 40 minutes from beginning to end, not bad, considering its a punk album.
As if the instrumentals weren’t good enough, the vocals are executed brilliantly. The lead singer’s voice is a blend between those of Pennywise and The Bouncing Souls. The singing is very melodic and pierces in clearly through the instrumentals. The backing vocals performed by the bassist is well timed and the harmony makes their sound that much better. Much of the choruses are coated with a bunch of “woah’s” or echoing the chorus line, which really adds depth to the tracks. Bottom line: you will like the vocals as long as you like vocal harmony and singers who can actually sing.
You will also definitely find a hint of ska hidden within the album. In the song “Playing Dumb” towards the end the tempo slows from a ripping shred to a catchy reggae/ska jig before ramping up again for the finish. In the tracks “Late Nights…” and “Real World” you will find some rapid upstrokes from the guitar and heavy emphasis on bass in some parts. Adding ska to the mix was a good move in my book as it keeps things catchy and interesting.
Overall, I would say that this is a really great record, one that you can easily listen to from beginning to end without skipping, and one you should definitely pick up. More Than Normal’s debut album “Honour Amongst Thieves” really is punk rock at its finest and should definitely not be passed up if you are a fan of fast, happy, punk rock.
Similar To: The Bouncing Souls, Pennywise, Born To Lose
Best Tracks: Real World, We Could Be Kings, Playing Dumb