You Rot Me [PA] (CD - 2006)

Personnel: Nate Shaw (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Zander Schloss (guitar, baritone guitar, background vocals); Jamie Reidling (guitar, drums, background vocals); Greg Kuehn (keyboards).

Recording information: Adamos Recordings, Westminster, CA.

Duane Peters has already lived enough rock & roll and skateboarding lives that he'd probably outpace a cat's typical nine. On the sophomore release of his latest incarnation, teaming up with fellow SoCal veterans like Zander Schloss and Corey Parks, Peters fronts Die Hunns, which in an era of mall-punk-as-new-AOR deserves credit just for being so rough and ready. That said, if it was just early Adolescents or Bad Religion or Social Distortion redux -- and that's all in there somewhere -- then Die Hunns would be only a pleasant timekiller. But the band knows better than that -- and compared to a lot of acts, it's cool to see everybody pitching into the songwriting and performing, rather than sticking to one preset role throughout. Schloss and Nate Shaw in particular seem to be playing anything and everything but the drums! Easygoing but still high-volume shuffles like the title track back up against more rampaging numbers throughout. Peters' commanding, barking rasp is great to hear, and when he breaks for spoken word asides and quieter moments, as on the opening "Mad Society," he keeps things from being too samey. Parks' vocals add further variety -- her cool work on the chorus of "Jorgé" and "Night Like Tonight" work as great contrasts to Peters', while "On My Mind" is a good slow burn of a performance -- as is Schloss' lighter delivery on "Don't Want to Hear It." If the middle of the album gets a touch too easygoing, perhaps -- "Die for Me" would almost be anonymous bar band fodder were it not for Peters and especially his honest-to-god sweetly sung chorus -- as a whole this is an enjoyable treat from a group of musicians not ready to give up. ~ Ned Raggett minimize