CKY- Carver City Review

Posted by Matt Shoemaker on 06.04.2009

CKY returns after a four year absence with another concept album. Does the band's new affiliation with Roadrunner Records have an impact on their label debut, or is this the CKY we all know and, hopefully, love?

The Band
Deron Miller- Vocals, Guitar, Synth, Bass
Chad Ginsberg- Lead Guitar, Bass, Backing Vocals
Jess Margera- Drums
Matt Deis- Bass



Track Listing
1. "Hellions on Parade" 3:42
2. "...And She Never Returned" 3:33
3. "Rats in the Infirmary" 3:31
4. "Imaginary Threats" 3:43
5. "The Boardwalk Body" 3:39
6. "Plagued by Images" 3:25
7. "Karmaworks" 4:06
8. "Woe Is Me" 3:50
9. "A#1 Roller Rager" 3:51
10. "Old Carver's Bones" 4:57
11. "The Era of an End" 3:52

The Album

CKY may not be the most popular band around these days, or even back when they first started, but they provide something a lot of bands can’t these days: consistency. Since day one, CKY has produced music with a sound that works for them. While it may be a little bit basic at times, it’s something fans know and love, and it’s been the soundtrack for a generation of skaters, rockers, and Jackass wannabes alike.

CKY’s newest release, Carver City is no exception in terms of sound. The album is hard hitting, catchy, melodic, and well thought out. The band manages to incorporate a story into most of their albums, with their most famous being the fictional setting of Hellview. The series of songs relating to this began with the band’s most famous song, “96 Quite Bitter Beings”, continued with “Escape From Hellview”, and continues with the opening track of this album, “Hellions on Parade”. The tone and general sound of the song has a slight relation to its predecessors, with the now very recognizable guitar tone and almost similar riffs opening the song.

From the opener, the album keeps a steady pace throughout. The band has come up with some pretty impressive music for this album, combining incredibly catchy guitar riffs and melodies with great vocals and pretty impressive lyrics. The album keeps the story motif going with songs like “The Boardwalk Body”, “A#1 Roller Rager”, and “Old Carver’s Bones”. The band has said in interviews that Carver City is an amalgamation of all the beach towns they visited as kids, and it’s a town that seems pleasant, but holds dark secrets. The band based most of the story based songs on real life events, including “The Boardwalk Body”.

The first three tracks of the album may be the best of the eleven (if you don’t have the special edition), which is both good and bad, for obvious reasons. The rest of the album is strong, but some songs feel like they are lacking or uninspired. “Rats In The Infirmary” may be the highlight of the album, as it keeps a heavier tons throughout most of the three and a half minutes, but still manages to serve as the catchiest song on the album, both musically and vocally.

Overall, this album is pretty much what you would expect from CKY. A solid, slightly-less-than-spectacular alternative rock album from a band who has never changed their musical standards for others. Comparatively, this album is a pretty decent summary of their work, taking bits and pieces from different CKY eras, and merging it into one solid album.

The 411: This is another solid effort in the CKY catalog. Aside from a couple of spectacular songs, this album holds it's own pretty well. This is a band who knows what their fans want, and they give it to them perfectly.

Final Score:  7.5   [ Good ]