Voodoo Glow Skulls - Adiccion, Tradicion, Revolucion

"Ska-core" is a term rarely heard today, and from my experience, bands of such a genre tend to have all but died out. But the Voodoo Glow Skulls have survived through all the trends, sticking to their Mexico-inspired style of hardcore-tinged psycho-ska. Consistant since for more than a decade, the band has released seven albums, with the majority having been out on the heavyweight Epitaph label. The Voodoo Glow Skulls graced more than a few of the Punk-o-Rama compilations, and I'm sure I'm not the only one to discover a plethora of 90's punk rock through those 5-dollar albums. The music is rooted in early hardcore, while the ska elements are typically more in the brass interjections than in the guitar work; the vocals jump back and forth between English and Spanish, sometimes making for a very confused sing-along. The lyrics are political, speaking out in a fashion that many of their Epitaph counterparts did--lots of soul and conviction but not overly thought-provoking. As far as the musicianship, it's tight--the production is good, everything is solid, though it's not new; it's not very exciting. For what they're doing, the Voodoo Glow Skulls are good, but I can't tell if they stand out above the rest, because there just aren't many bands doing anything similar that have kept going, at least not at this level. Addicion, Tradicion, Revolucion plays as an enjoyable throwback six or seven years ago but still proves to be a good time. [www.victoryrecords.com]