Asado - Equipped To Fail

Tracklist: 

01. The First Step 

02. Equipped To Fail 

03. King Died Today 

04. Without A Choice 

05. Disconnect 

06. Roast 

07. Occupation 101 

08. Horrible Truths 

09. Safety Zone 

10. Pelted Lies 

11. Go On Believing 

12. Magnets 

13. Stronger Than The Rest

Release date: May 15, 2013
Label: Bells On Records, Found Of Life Records
Buy: 
Found Of Life - Europe  
Interpunk 
Bells On Records store 
Band profile here


Reviewed by Chad Jensen

I must say that before reviewing this record, I'd never listened to ASADO. ASADO is a melodic skatepunk band from Winnipeg, Canada. Melodic Punk Style's main mission statement is to shed light on new or lesser-known Melodic Punk bands. In many places, including the United States and Canada, Melodic Punk Rock has died down in popularity and that's the way we like it. But thanks to bands like ASADO, the scene is alive and well. And they carry the Canadian punk rock torch with authority.

EQUIPPED TO FAIL opens up with the lead of track, "The First Step". And right away, we hear fast paced, technical guitar riffs, tight and fast drum beats, and gruff, but melodic vocals and harmonies. The song features a catchy chorus where they change the beat to a mid tempo and catchy melodies and then it picks right back up to speed in the verse. I'd say my favorite song on this whole record is the title track, "Equipped to Fail". The riffs are super technical and really catchy. The chorus makes you wanna jump on a fucking skateboard and hit the streets.

I found that the more I listened to this band, the more I really liked the vocals. Like I said before, they're gruff but super melodic and passionate. It grew on me. It's kind of hard to compare this band to anyone else, to help give you perspective. Some of their riffs remind me of modern Propagandhi, which makes sense because both bands are from Winnipeg. I would guess that Propagandhi has been influential in some way on ASADO. ASADO's vocals are very different than Propagandhi though. As you get further into the record, the song "Roast" opens up with a nice guitar intro and then builds up with some awesome oohs & awes. And then it goes to a more mid tempo pace and the chorus is another anthemic, really catchy vocal melody.

One thing I'll say about ASADO, is that they keep you guessing. They've obviously spent A LOT of time hashing out the structure of these songs to keep them really fresh and interesting. And it's good to know they care so much about writing good songs and structure. You don't see that so much in modern "punk" music. And it's really refreshing. These dudes know what they're doing and provided they continue to tour and spread their music around the scene, I can see them being very successful. If a band like this had the opportunity to make a record with a really good punk rock producer, like a Fat Mike, or Ryan Greene, who could make their songs maybe a little bit more accessible and engaging, ASADO would benefit from it. The last song on the album, "This Parade Keeps Marching On", is a rad acoustic track, if you're into that sort of thing.

Overall, if you like technical, fast-paced, melodic punk rock, you'll like ASADO. They're not exactly breaking any new ground, but they are walking it in a very catchy, familiar way. Go download this album. At the very least, stream "Equipped to Fail" and I think you'll end up being just fine with paying a few bucks to download it. You can also buy the CD at www.interpunk.com.