Proton Packs – Paradox CD (Badman Records)

It’s been a while since we covered a Ramonescore band. Proton Packs are emanating from Siena, Italy and this quartet is so specific, mainly because of their retrofuturistic scientistic approach to punk rock music. The group is active since 2005 and has published an impressive amount of recordings, such as Welcome To Ecto Punk Realm EP, The Wierd Science Of Ecto Punk, Space Opera, Conspiracy ’66, and Continuum EP. Proton Packs also shared the split records with bands like The Leeches, The Putz, and The Livermores. In March of 2020, the band has announced a brand new recording called Paradox by publishing an appropriate single sharing the same name as the following album.

Paradox carries fourteen brand new songs performed in a recognizable Ramonescore manner. Proton Packs are entirely following the tradition of Ramones, The Queers, Screeching Weasel, Riverdales, The Livermores, Teenage Bottlerocket, The Lillingtons, Masked Intruder, plus many others who were heavily inspired by a rock’n’roll driven punk rock sound. Nevertheless, Proton Packs freshen up their sound through an entirely futuristic approach to lyrics. Besides classic punk rock sound, Proton Packs are profoundly inspired by a retrofuturistic, scientific, and espionage thematics that are vividly hearable throughout the entire recording.

Unlike the remaining portion of the groups who are nurturing this specific type of music, Proton Packs are leaning towards unpolished old school sound. The guitars are carrying melodies through raw sounding guitars, where blistering distortion retains the dosage of aggression during the entire recording. Still, melodies are chopping the atmosphere with four-chord progressions and simplistic soloing that keep Paradox entertaining from scratch to finish. Warm sounding bass guitar fulfills the gaps with compelling low-end tones. These basslines are liberating enough power to the overall atmosphere, but also supporting the excellent drumming performance that keeps Proton Packs fully energetic during the entire recording.

The Paradox is not just another Ramonescore album, neither Proton Packs are just another group that shares common interests with many other similar bands. Proton Packs are standing out from the crowd with their entertaining raw approach to melodic compositions and scientific themes, and their brand new recording unquestionably deserves your full attention. The Paradox comes on a vinyl record by Mom’s Basement Records and compact disc by Badman Records. Check them out!