Hollywood Apocalypse – Bonus Dias From Skid Row – Album Review

Give a warm Ark of Music welcome, trumpets and all, to Hollywood Apocalypse – a band inspired by – and perhaps epitomizing – Hollywood’s legendary, nationally renowned rock music scene. With their latest release, Bonus Dias From Skid Row, the band delivers 13 tracks dipped in that glitter-bombed Los Angeles vibe, expressing as a rude, refined, and sometimes decadent blend of rock, punk, grunge, heavy metal (of an especially ‘80s variety), and occasional heady dalliances into progressive rock. So, is Bonus Dias From Skid Row a successful showcase of the finest, loudest, and proudest West Coast rock? Let’s hit the highlights.

Wait. Who does what?

According to band leader Ivan: “It’s funny. It started off with me… trying to get people to play in my band. They slowly started coming. At first there were three of us and it just kept getting bigger. Right now, we‘re a seven-piece band which is kind of crazy for a punk band.”

And this rather sizable ensemble features Ivan (vocals, guitar), Tape (guitar), Lisa (keys), Celinda (bass, guitar), Proto (bass), Roland (drums), and Sky (mostly drums and everything else available).

Now, about those highlights…

The highlights (i.e., what we liked/loved/want to listen to again and immediately):

The album opens with “From the Piss Puddles on Hollywood Blvd,” a name which immediately grants the album a PG-13 rating. Musically, it follows the title’s foulness with a thick, oozing punk attitude and vocals battered in a hard-reflecting delay. It’s a song celebrating Hollywood’s decadence while acknowledging – and embracing – its darkness. This is a great energetic opener with muscular electric guitar chords, extreme confidence, and a love of something sacred wrapped in barbed wire.

“They” changes things a bit with muted, higher guitar notes and a larger aural environment sculpted by adroit delay and production. A friendlier but still diabolical track, “They” sets a foundation of sadness while offering screaming resistance.

“Run” starts with a warm 80s-style synth and continues with its nostalgic chiming electronica. Great song, and not at all softened by its ostensibly cooling keystone.

“Pink Balloon” is an energetic pop-punk delight that would definitely achieve national airplay in the early 2000s. Of course, this one has a little more bite than your average radio-friendly clones of the often-derided Blink 182.

And would I dare overlook “Kitty Pow Pow?” It’s like….well, if Social Distortion leaned on the Beach Boys’ bedazzling surf rock in order to properly opine about a rascally little cat. This is a playful number that finds hope in a smaller, furry, and catnip-addicted package.

Track “Little Psycho” is a slower, more solemn offering rolling over a foundational piano. With some metallic percussion and a guitar granted a wider sonic berth, “Little Psycho” is a respite from the more aggressive, agitated tracks – it’s another successful example of the band’s versatility. Personally, this might be one of my favorites, as it takes something mostly resigned and grants it a drained but undiminished authority. Oh, speaking of “draining”…

“Draining Complaining and Explaining” is back to the aggressive band you already fell in love with four tracks ago. It’s a powerful, high-energy, punk-infused rock song churning through the push/pull of winning/losing, trying/failing, loving/hating, and the celebration/denouncement of good/bad choices. It has enough power to get you moving, and enough anger to inspire constructive, occasionally destructive, change.

And we reach the album’s end with “Going Away.” It features slowly chugging higher notes that may be levitating through a delay, and a chorus that, through anger, hope, and beleaguered belief, sets to bring about some sort of balance – perhaps even justification. This is a strong, cymbal-crashing closer granting the album one final waving fist.

But is it good?

Folks, this is next-level punk/rock rambunctiousness married to a strong melodic base; it’s mean, a little vulgar, and sometimes, right in your face. But don’t let that aggressive edge fool you – there are plenty of delicate moments here, and the music presents them perfectly as the band effortlessly shifts between emotional tones and relative musical styles.

If you’re looking for energy; if your brain/spirit is shouting to be heard; and if you feel the venom building/burning and demanding catharsis, or if necessary, some immediate and chain-shattering change? Then start at track one, and live your too-long-neglected truth. Recommended.

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BELOW: Listen to Hollywood Apocalypse and check them out on Spotify, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Please support Hollywood Apocalypse by visiting them online, and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing their music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music.