New Jersey Stage Issue 51 | Page 24

strates the band’s inventive use of harmonic, melodic backing vocals behind singer-guitarist Wes Bentley’s abrasive lead vox. What I also really like about Doc Rotten is their songwriting. They write really tight, acces- sible but edgy songs, like The Ramones and Green Day, but far from wimpy pop-punk. It’s true punk, rooted in the tradition of The Ramones and The Clash, but unlike a lot of modern-day punk bands, the songwriting is fo- cused and well-constructed. The fantastic “Illusion to Choose” opens with the five new songs. First off is the metal- tinged “Mind Control,” a blast of nastiness that makes a state- ment about the need to unify in the face of hate and the shame- ful government and media that perpetuate it. The short but ef- fective snarl ‘n’ sneer inspired the LP’s title with the line: “The agendas of the news. The illu- sion to choose. Stop playing a victim of the sys- tem. We enabled this abuse.” Watch the video for “Mind Control” by Doc Rotten NJ STAGE - ISSUE 51 INDEX NEXT ARTICLE 24