Orlando's Virgins play hook orientated, chorus heavy punk with scratchy throat vocals. The three-piece formed from the ashes of New Mexican Disaster Squad and their sound is a logical development. While the band has clear roots in early hardcore, they maintain an approach that's easier on the palate with a stronger focus on catchiness instead of sheer ferocity.
"Another's Gun" kicks things off with some back and forth angry-rant vocals and harmonized choruses. They add some bridges in between that are heavily influenced by 80's punk. At times, vocalist Sam Johnson sounds remarkably like Jason Shevchuk which, whether justified or not, makes me think of None More Black. The strongest difference is that Virgins know what they want to sound like while, to me, None More Black has always seemed uncertain.
Noteworthy songs are "Atheist in America," which starts with a slowed hardcore rhythm and morphs into a catchy chorus type of song. The spoken word part gets a bit much for me, but not enough to ruin the song. "Guitarmageddon" with emphatic singing from Johnson and a structure that builds to a powerful chorus with some backing "oohs" is also a favorite. The closer "War Choppers" has a helicopter-like beat as Johnson shouts about the complexities of war. The tempo varies without confusion and it becomes almost a chant-like hook by the end of the two-and-a-half minute song. Virgins like their songs fast, angry, and to the point.
The cover features the Pope in a creepy three color collage; the band is named Virgins; and the record is called Miscarriage. Add a track named "Atheist in America," and the band is pretty clear about their stance on certain issues. It gets rather blunt at times, and a tad more subtlety wouldn't hurt them. My only real complaint is that much of the record repeats itself too frequently and it gets a bit anthemy. Johnson doesn't have much vocal range, and he's at his best when he stretches out the words and varies his delivery along with the tempo. Musically, the band does a great job of mixing up their sound over the ten songs, all while keeping things within the usual two-four minute range. The less is more production style suits the band well.
