The Reveling is a punk band that kicks it old school. Instead of going for the modern sound of punk, they went 90s on us. Sounding very much like Bad Religion and Anti-Flag, The Reveling on Tributaries creates a pure punk sound that you can’t ignore.
“Revival” and “Charlotte Thompson” are the first two songs on Tributaries and they start the album off right. They aren’t the fast-paced NOFX style punk songs, they are more the melodic, jazzy beats from Bad Religion and Anti-Flag. “Revival” starts off with what all punk albums should have, group vocals. Although the song starts off a little slow, the punk beat kicks right in, and there’s nothing you want to do more than get into a circle pit and dance and sing.
“Left At Forkright” is a song that screams punk rock. It comes in with the strong chords and the danceable beat. Another thing that is great about The Reveling’s punk sound is there short songs. The entire album is under 30 minutes long. Punk songs are typically very short, especially the songs from the 90’s and before. The Reveling fit the bill well for a great punk band.
The middle portion of Tributaries is a lot more melodic than the rest of the album. It’s a nice change of pace because it gives you a second to breathe and sing along for a few tracks. “Black And Tan” is one of these songs. It’s a simple song that you just want to go and sing along to while skanking in the circle pit.
After “Black And Tan,” the songs pick up more than they did at the beginning of the album. These songs are the short, fast-paced punk songs that were written in the 90s. Songs like these is what got punk started in the first place. Having them end their album off with songs like “Unglued” and “Invitations To Alleyways” puts their mark on the punk scene. It shows that they were going 90’s, and did it successfully.
Any true punk-rocker would appreciate The Reveling. They have a pure sound, and a unique one at the same time. You don’t hear bands like them too often anymore, so having them around is a great thing for the modern punk scene. So take a listen and enjoy a truly great album by an underground punk band that just wants to pay homage to their predecessors.
For more information on the Reveling check out their official website, MySpace, and Facebook pages.