Full Circle
Pennywise do not respond to pain by becoming quieter on Full Circle. The album is fast, forceful and often openly encouraging, with Jim Lindberg singing as though keeping the words moving is part of keeping himself upright. Beneath the familiar punk attack is a stronger sense of loss than the volume first suggests.
Fight Till You Die starts with a guitar and bass figure that gives the song a firm direction. The brief pause before another rush makes the final chorus more effective, showing how much a small structural choice can do inside this style. Date With Destiny follows without giving the energy time to drop, and the band sound entirely committed to the sequence.
The rhythm section supplies much of the interest. Randy Bradbury's bass has a clear, active role, while Byron McMackin's drumming adds movement beyond keeping everything fast. Get a Life makes the bass especially noticeable. The playing gives the album a physical character that survives even when a lyric offers a fairly general message of endurance.
Society is a strong example of the band's strengths and limits together. The central riff is recognisable, the chorus is direct, and Lindberg's voice gives it force. The argument is broad, however, and the unchanging intensity does not always make it more revealing. Several songs share closely related introductions and emotional shapes, so the whole record can feel less varied than the playing deserves.
Broken turns that directness into a more convincing personal refusal to give up. The guitar work gives the feeling a sharp edge, and the band keep the song focused on its next useful change. They are most effective when determination has a specific musical form.
The return to Bro Hymn gives the closing stretch a communal centre. Its simple melody and group voices make grief something that can be carried together. Full Circle has little interest in subtle presentation, but the feeling underneath is substantial. The band's precision and commitment make its insistence on continuing feel like something more demanding than a slogan.
