Choking Hazard

Musicianship

Echoing the sounds of modern punk bands like Blink 182 and Green Day, while still defining a unique sound for themselves, Choking Hazard has managed to put together an album that is actually interesting to listen to! The guitar work, shared by Todd, Matt and Julian, is nice and crunchy, with clean touches that provide support for the melody of the tunes. They also manage to add cool touches to their songs that make them stand out. One of my favorite is the mandolin playing included in their song (Hometown Hero), one of my favorite tunes! All in all the string players (previously mentioned) and Jed, the band’s drummer, combine for a cool musical package!

Now, when it comes to rating the vocal performance, I was a little less impressed. The vocals are typical sounding punk stuff; at times, though, the guys have pitch problems that distract from the overall quality of their sound. With more work on the vocals, this particular area probably would have rated much higher. That said, though, Meet You at the Lodge still held my interest, and impressed me!

Songwriting

Choking Hazard writes pretty good songs. Some are a bit clichéd, but for the most part, I liked what I heard. There were interesting tracks a little deeper into the album, like (Let’s Just Be Friends), (Nightime Thought), and (Waves). All of them featured different musical twists accompanied by lyrics that were above average. Of course, the song I mentioned above, (Hometown Hero) is their best work! For me, it is the song that defines the band’s sound! If these guys keep playing and writing their own stuff, I think this is just the beginning!

Sound Quality/Professionalism

Meet You At The Lodge is definitely a good-sounding record! Each instrument has a crisp, distinct sound, and the mix/mastering brings all the individual parts together quite nicely! With regard to the vocals, I wish that the producers could have done a little more to make the singing sound fatter. Maybe more background vocals would have helped, as well; at any rate, that is the one area that I would have spent more time. Overall, the performance sounds really good, and the guys in Choking Hazard should be very proud of what they’ve accomplished!

Packaging

I like the way that this CD is packaged! After reading the history behind the lodge in the album’s title, it’s cool that they decided to name the album as they did, and provide a picture on the album cover. In doing so, they pay homage to a place where there sound came together for the album, and also to their die-hard fans who come to watch the band practice! In fact, the only reason that I didn’t give a higher rating was the fact that no lyrics are included in the liner notes, or on the band’s website. Come on! The songs that you write are interesting, and music geeks like me want to read the lyrics!

Favorite Tracks
Hometown Hero
Let’s Just Be Friends
Thoughts of You (Blair’s Song)
Waves

Overall

Perhaps the best thing that I can say at this point is that Choking Hazard definitely exceeded my expectations! The CD’s beginning was a bit shaky for me; by the third song, though, I was hearing things that changed my mind. After that, I listened with an ear tuned to finding the positive qualities that Choking Hazard possesses. In the end, I found that I liked the band’s musical approach; I also found that I could look past the less-than-perfect vocal performance and hear the heart and soul of a young band that will continue to get better and better as they play more and more!



If you are a fan of modern punk looking for a slightly different twist, check out Choking Hazard! They really are more than a copycat band; they are musicians who enjoy playing music and pleasing their fans! With 2 albums under their belts and a contingent of loyal fans, this is a band that shows a lot of promise!—Mark Lush, Midwestbands.com, 2/24/05
- Mark Lush, Midwestbands.com, 2/24/05