Cruising along with monster guitar riffs, paralyzing drumbeats, and heavy bass lines, they spit out loud, aggressive, ear-shattering tunes that will leave you for dead. Maybe good for some fans of hardcore, my taste lies more on the melodic side of things. Yes, I like some nice melodic and/or pop beats thrown in to my punk and hardcore to make it go down smoother. Unfortunately though, Society Gone Madd! doesn't seem to believe in these elements, and continues on at full force. Due to this, they lost me after I listened to the disc. Which is a shame, because they're lyrics are some of the best I've seen in a young hardcore band in a long time.

Not pretentious or overwhelming, the lyrics come out exactly how the writer sees the subject. The lyrics are angry and tainted, but are pure and honest -- A vital combination in lyrics that want to last past the first few listens. And they do, if you can pay attention to them over the noise.

The band has one crucial element of the music down (the lyrics), now they just need to tighten up as a band, keep the ever-so-present energy that flows through the music nicely, and implement a bit more melodic points here and there. I'll give the disc a C-.

Social Scare: Sound Formula

Society's Finest: Love, Murder, and a Three Letter Word

[Issue Sixteen // January-February 1999]