What pisses the supremely tolerant off? Intolerance. What pisses Slapshot off? Edgebreakers, trainwrecks, narcissists, whiners, whingers, hypocrites, the mentally weak, and quitters! Slapshot lists, tackles, hip checks, and pins this notion of kindness to the boards, praying for full on donnybrook. They are Brad Marchand staring at one of theSedin’s, asking for a tilly; they are Sean Avery screening Martin Brodeur like the lovable douchebag prick he is. And just like hockey tolerates its measured violence, and rule breaks, Slapshot questions our enforced niceness. They call to attention America’s aptitude to be an ass when needed. It’s a given! Be nice, treat people with respect, blah, blah, blah… 'What if they continually don’t deserve it?'
Make America Hate Again is an angry call note for the dying idea of equality of hate. It ultimately comments on America’s optimal tension of opposites. The country is all about appearing different than everybody else, including each individual citizen, so the desire to differentiate between each individual likely produces some strong feelings of dislike. And Americans achieve this, more or less, ranging from pet peeves to rank skepticism. 'Everything’s fake, we fight amongst ourselves, we need to united in our hatred,' sums it up!
Careful, Slapshot isn’t advocating violence outright by suggesting more hatred—unless you think that hatred will always lead to violence, then we got another discussion to have. Instead, Slapshot suggests the remedy to American political tension is increased open dislike. No doubt they stoke their anger much like a man with a toothache pokes at it with his tongue, or a dog licks his wound, making it worse. But they’re from Boston for Christ’s sake!
Usually 'old-tyme' hardcore bands risk sounding tired and worn out stereotypes of their former selves, but Slapshot got a new facelift and sounds fresher than ever. This 'newness' is likely due to how clean the album sounds. But since the band is incredibly talented and tight, songs like “Hypocrite”, “Alone”, “Cry For Help”, and “Trainwreck” may sound better than they actually are. Undoubtedly their guitar solos add a magnificent shimmer to the well-balanced mixing and mastering.
Interestingly, the chorus in “It’s All About You” sounds note for note to The Rival Mob’s “I Want To Be Victimized.” But Slapshot goes for a melodic chord progression in their verses, whereas The Rival Mob stays neutral. Essentially I think both are two sides of a one-sided coin. They both talk about the same things in both songs in unique voices; they are identical in spirit, except Slapshot would probably smack the beer from The Rival Mob’s hand.
Say what you will, hate who you want, but know your actions have cultural consequences. Behind the hockey mask, Slapshot is ticking every moral contradiction, lazy thought, and dishonest idea rippling out to the world, butterflying in the most righteous anger. They are like Santa in a Bruins jersey, grinning a crooked smile, with enough teeth to bite chunks out of you, and grind them to pieces. What’s their point? You reap what you sew, and many of us are sewing a piss-stained blanket.
