Published on Apr 29, 2003
Whoever said all Christian punk was “do-gooder trash that needs
to go to hell” was wrong. Oh wait, that was me. So I was wrong.
I picked up this CD from a band I had never heard of after I saw
Mest at a concert sponsored by a local radio station. I was there
to see Good Charlotte, but that was totally before “Lifestyles Of
The Rich And Famous.” So Mest came on, and I found myself doing
this half mosh, half stoner head-bang to their single”Cadillac.”
After I listened to the whole CD,
Destination Unknown, I was happy to discover a delightfully
crass, yet completely insightful party album that parents might
actually approve of.
“Cadillac” is the album’s first single. It’s basically a look
into one night of drinking and getting stoned, and finding comfort
through your belligerence from that one person who always makes you
feel guarded and not so much like the fuck-up that you are. The
band packs a cornucopia of musical influences into this one song.
It starts off with a rapid guitar riff, reminiscent of early Green
Day. The chorus is slowed down to a mellower riff with more hip-hop
undertones. It finishes with a more abated reggae feel. Farther in,
the seventh song on the disc, “It’s Over,” is a friend’s testimony
of his feelings toward his best friend’s girlfriend, and her
interference in their friendship. Sounds sweet, but the lyrics are
delivered in a frantic conveyance, backed by only a fast guitar
tune that makes you forget the touching inner meaning and turns
this song into a great mosher. The best song on this CD is the
hidden track, which plays two minutes after the last song, “Living
Dead,” ends. The track is a mellow, reggae ditty with a blasting
horn in the background that makes you want to sit back, take a hit
and ponder some of the simpler things in life.
One song that didn’t go over so well was “Breakin’ Down.” After
experiencing an album such as this one, I feel a certain loyalty to
Mest. I won’t say that this song is completely terrible; it’s not.
But it doesn’t live up to the potential shown in the other thirteen
tracks. Its message is somewhat obscure, and the lyrics are little
more than brainless. Example: “Breakin’, breakin’, she’s breakin’
down. Breakin’, breakin’, she’s breakin’ down.” Plus the music
sounds like the same watered-down crap you hear on every pop-punk
album these days. Let this one slide, since the rest of the album
is full of pure, unadulterated party favorites. Skip over number
nine, and you’re golden.
Definitely pick this one up; it’s a steal at eight dollars, plus
your Bible-thumping friends will love you for it.