Two Man Advantage – “Dynasty”
In hockey terms, “two man advantage” is when the opposing team has two members in the penalty box, thus you have a two man advantage. In punk rock terms it means when a band from Long Island, New York can wallop enough musical fury that they’re the equal of two! (They do have seven members though). Oh, I get it, two more than the usual five.
Now I don’t follow hockey, but surely these guys do, as half the song titles have hockey references like “Keeper Of The Cup,” that’s Stanley not jockstrap for those not in the know. But it’s time to lace up the skates if you’re listening to these boys and please, don’t go off-sides.
When I think of it, hockey is a lot like punk rock. Do you know that old joke, “I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out? Well, someone could say a punk show is just an excuse for moshing- “I went to a mosh-pit and a punk show broke out.”
Hockey gets no respect, like punk rock. It’s not all-American like football as it was started by those commie Canadians who believe in such horrible things as health care. Hockey is not mainstream and accepted by the masses in that way similar to punk and let’s not forget to mention our local hockey named bands like Slapshot and Penalty Kill.
Also, it should be noted that, Two Man Advantage was one of the few bands to be picked from an excellent compilation CD by Vicious Mistress Records that recently got reviewed here. They’re song “Drink The Bar Dry” was chosen and I was pleased as punch when I heard they were playing the Midway a few weeks ago and more pleased when I got to see them and secured this CD. Two CD’s and a live show- it’s a hat trick!
Enough chitter, chatter- let’s drop the puck on the ice.
“Rookie Season” barrels out of the starting gate like Motorhead on meth while we’re crashing through barriers and falling over cliffs. “Well, it’s been a long time since I rocked n’ roll, yeah.” Sounds like a take-off on the Led Zeppelin song “Rock N Roll” though Zeppelin were a band that never got a grasp of that style. This song moves along at a fast clip with the Black Flag like backing vocals smashing you in the face. This band plays more traditional punk than hardcore and that’s just how they roll…and rock. This song certainly does. This song shows more than promise, it delivers.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/01-Rookie Season.mp3|titles=Rookie Season]
“Roundhouse” starts out in a swirling maelstrom of rhythms, crashing guitars and violent vocals in a more hardcore setting until a melodic chorus swoops in, “Winding up like a windmill/ Here comes a roundhouse,” that wouldn’t be out of place on an old Guns N Roses album. And then a metal-ish guitar solo, setting off landmines, happens and we’re turned around. This song packs a punch and knocks you out for the count.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/11-Roadhouse.mp3|titles=Roadhouse]
“When The Ice Melts Away” starts out like it could be an old Dictators song and then slams into a driving beat that takes us away on a melodic guitar line. This is more like a charging, chugging AC/DC rock song than a punk anthem but works perfectly. “When the ice melts way, it melts away.” This is a melancholy tinged rocker that has passion; power and catchiness- call it their hit tune if you must. I just call it great.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/05-When The Ice Melts Away.mp3|titles=When The Ice Melts Away]
“Desirage” starts with a pounding, one snare hit per beat drum line as the guitars growl besides them. It has the strut of an early Kiss song and glides into intense vocals that may show that their roots are more in traditional punk and hard rock than hardcore but still contains the passion, fire and aggression of hardcore punk. “The desire and fire is in your eyes.”
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/03-Desirage.mp3|titles=Desirage]
So this Two Man Advantage playing “New York hardcore hockey punk rock’n’roll,” that may cause you to imagine a bunch of louts slingin’ beer and pukin’ on themselves. But they reveal, though this may be a part of them, they also wear their heart on their sleaze; are not afraid of melody or emotion, and are not afraid to buck the trend of heavy New York hardcore. And maybe they do reach a little farther back in punk history for influence- not in London, not in L.A., but in New York, where the style was born.
And we salute them in their journey; tip our derby hats toward their quest, happy to have, once again, another New York band slinging not just beer or hockey sticks but goddamn great punk rock, great songs and a great CD towards us.
The Rangers suck.
(Slimedog)
