People's Choice REVIEWS

• kickass album everyone must check this out thanks again!!!!

  author: Sarah

  they're the most talented band i've ever met/heard from seattle :) the first time i heard them was at the cocaine in los angeles when i went to see the breakdowns and then i heard sledgeback for the first time and again at the dollhut about a day later and i loved them :) sometimes you hear a band on their album and then you see them live and they suck but sledgeback is awesome both on their album and when you see them live and i happened to see them live first...i'm so glad I did because they're amazing :) everyone must check out this band because they're amazing and they're going to be HUGE!!!! love to gabi and ac mike!!!!

• "Sledgeback's Guitars Know When to Drive Fast, When to Slow Down"

  author: About Entertainment

  Tens of thousands of years from now, when musical paleontologists are looking for the missing link between Social Distortion and the Swingin' Utters, the evolutionary chain will point to Sledgeback. For the most part, Sledgeback is a musical combination of those two bands, complemented by the husky snarl of Hungarian frontman Gabi Hun. Sledgeback's Guitars Know When to Drive Fast, When to Slow Down People's Choice kicks off with "Pants Off" which is a serious driving punk song than the title would suggest. A fierce aggressive guitar line carries the music all the way through the first three songs. The album is excellently organized; the first three tracks are all hard fast punk songs, yet just when you think you might be getting worried that every song on the album will sound the same, the fourth track, "How Far" kicks in. It's an anthemic break, slowing things down a bit, giving you a chance to rest for a moment before tearing into the hard fast stuff again. Five tracks later, the band breaks away from the heavy fast music again with the more melodic "Take Me Home", which they then quickly follow up with "No Feelings", another heavy burst of music which employs the most addictive thrash guitar riff since Ministry did "Stigmata".

• "This CD is a must have for any punk fan... any music fan for that matter."

  author: Punknews.com

  Seattle has been known for it's music scene for years... Many great bands from here have put out their music for your listening enjoyment... Well, here is another one... Seattle's own Sledgeback!!! With power driven guitar riffs, a chest pounding rythmn section and the snarling vocals of frontman Gabi Hun...catchy choruses and lyrics from life experiences...songs that will get you on your feet... this is a band you must check out! People's Choice was released in 2004 on local lable Sliver Records. There are 13 tracks of in your face punk rock starting off with the crowd pleaser Pants Off... Feel the angst of tracks like Sledgeanger, No Feelings and Regret... the driving tunes such as Take Me Home and Don't Wanna Know....This CD is a must have for any punk fan... any music fan for that matter. All songs represent live just as they are on the CD...The crowd at their shows go absolutley crazy. Great music, great stage presence, great band... GET THIS CD!

• "a jukebox worth of solid, catchy punk rock anthems"

  author: Sleazegrinder

  The thing about punk rock is, it never really had that many directions to go in before it turned into something else – punk, metal, pop, whatever – so if you started experimenting with the basic ‘dirty-ass rock n’ roll played by glue-huffing freak children’ formula too much, you ended up somewhere else entirely. Well, you don’t have to worry about any weird shit going down here, Jack. Seattle’s Sledgeback do, in fact, borrow a bit from the rootsy rock n’ roll of Social D and maybe Soul Asylum on occasion, but mostly they stick to the goddamn formula, tossing out a jukebox worth of solid, catchy punk rock anthems in the jumpy SoCal tradition. Hungarian frontman Gabi Hun is a deadringer for Bob Mould, too, so if you’ve ever wondered what Husker Du would sound like with a couple US Bombs in the band, well, now you know. “People’s Choice” is a little adolescent for my tastes, to be honest, but it sounds like the perfect soundtrack for seducing 17 year old punk rock girls. Umm, if you’re a 17 year old punk boy, of course.

• "You won't take this out of your CD player after getting it."

  author: PunkUnited.com

  If Social Distortion had recorded an album between Mommy's Little Monster and Prison Bound I am fairly certain it would have sounded like this. The lead singer has the spirit of Mike Ness running through his veins, vocally I'd put him somewhere between Rancid and Social D. But, the lyrics are that of a younger Mike Ness, social views are put forth... but this is done through stories rather than Anti Flag esque sloganeering and preaching. The album kicks off with one of the catchiest punk songs I've heard in a while "Pants Off." There are bands who spend their whole careers trying to write something that grabs listeners like that, this band has done that early on in their careers. The music stays at an uptempo poppy punk/ roots rock throughout the album. I think the thing that kept this CD going for me, is how upbeat it is. I know I listened to it a lot on the 15 minute drive to school each day. And every morning it was able to get me up and going, which is harder to do than you may think. If I had to pick a punk band that deserved the kind of attention Simple Plan and Good Charlotte get for their boy band playing punk songs act, it would be these guys. Some bands end up being popular because they know how to work the business, others end up being popular because they write the kind of music you can't stop listening to. This is that band, you won't take this out of your CD player after getting it. I would say the one drawback to this album is that it sets a very high standard for their next release. However, if they are truly the talent this album has shown them to be... then their next album should not only live up to the expectation of this one, it should surpass it.

• "Sledgeback does everything right"

  author: Usedwigs.com

  Seattle's Sledgeback does everything right for fans like me of Social D's rockabilly-tinged punk updated with more muscle and speed à la Bombshell Rocks and old-guard Pegboy. You'll dig the impressive guitar leads that flow above and below the pumped-up, driving riffs and will marvel at Hungarian signer Gabi Hun whose gravelly gruff pipes are both daunting and emotionally welcoming at the same time.

• Simply amazing! Simple but addictive to the ears! A must!

  author: Greg Doors

  I love every single song on this album. The Voice is what really catches me everytime I listen to the songs. The instruments and the over all sound quality is A+. These guys will go far and now I cant wait to see them live. Buy this cd and you wont regret it for a second!

• "Nice, frolicking rough punk in the vein of Leatherface"

  author: FLEX YOUR HEAD Hardcore Online, Jason Schreurs

  Nice, frolicking rough punk in the vein of Leatherface, The Strike, Naked Raygun, and other bands I seem to have this hidden soft spot for. I dunno', something about those sandpaper vocals always gets me and, despite how pedestrian the punk tunes on People's Choice are, that gravely voice carries these tunes way farther than my attention span should allow. Even seven or eight songs in, when the chords collide with each other and the riffs begin to spiral upon themselves, still there's this voice grabbing me by the balls and saying, "Come with me." To where, I don't know. But I do know one thing: I'm going.

• Badass CD through and through

  author: Trevor

  Twas a great CD every track is strong, well worth the buy.

• "Hard-hitting music destined for radio play"

  author: Chaos And Fruit Punch / Operation Phoenix Records

  Great looking package here. The artwork and design are very professional, and the music has a driving Marshall and Gibson rocknroll sound. Melodic singing without the cheese-ball stuff, most of the 13 songs are mid-tempo (except for track 6, which sounded like a quick demo idea and lasted all of 30 seconds - perhaps a mid-album breather), and there's definitely some type of European accent on the vocals. The group has obviously been playing and practicing for a long time. Hard hitting music that's destined for radio play and your local club.

• "This cd will knock your socks off!"

  author: Julian Garr, Intellectos Magazine

  What can you expect from a band called Sledgeback? Punk rock and in this case it is tuneful and ear friendly but often more pleasant than biting. If you like Social Distortion or the pop punk attitude of bands like Bad Religion or the peppiness of So Cal ska punk this cd will knock your socks off. I really enjoy this cd but it does not make me uncomfortable or move me but at the same time these guys can write a good tune and that is crucial. This is the first full-length cd by Sledgeback, entitled "People’s Choice" so there is plenty of potential for this band and tracks like "Don't Wanna Know" prove that too. The last track the instrumental "Seattle" is beautiful it features a bare guitar line that evokes Sonic Youth it is easily my favorite track because it is melodic but unconventional too.

• Best local band I have heard, they will go far!!!

  author: Randy Youngquist

  Peoples Choice takes the hard hitting tracks from Sledgeback's live shows, adds a few more hits and kicks your ass again!!! If you only buy one CD this year, buy this!

• "(Sledgeback has) brought back what punk used to be"

  author: Crystal with Shaolin Records

  The boys from King County have done it! They've brought back what Punk used to be with their latest release, "People's Choice." Each track on this disc not only makes you want to jump up from your seat ... it demands it! 'Sledgeanger' is a fusion of angst, raw and powerful vocals, combined with ferocious guitar riffs. While tracks like 'How Far' and 'Good Bye My Friend' show a softer, but definitely not quiet, side of Sledgeback. If you combine only the best sounds of Pennywise and Social D, you'll have the honest but intricate punk fueled sounds of Sledgeback!

• "...one of my top 3 favorite bands right now"

  author: Rain-City Shwillers

  Ok, so I picked up this record for the super low price of 7 dollars at Sledgeback's cd release party. Thanks Gabi! Anyways, all I can say about this record is that it totally solidifies this band as one of my top 3 favorite bands right now. If you like Social D (which you should), Guttermouth or the best aspects of MXPX, you should definitely check these guys out. The whole album is a barrage of melodic guitars, colored by Ness-esque leads. If I still skated I would totally skate to this album. I seriously like every single song. If you live in Seattle, go see these guys. They are gonna be huge.