From beginnings in 1980 as a Germs-influenced straight-ahead hardcore band, by the time of 1986’s killer Kings Of Punk LP, Portland’s Poison Idea had perfected a mash-up of hardcore and hard rock. Rock’n’roll swagger met punk anger head on, and the results were gloriously aggressive, a drunken and obnoxious middle finger to the face of anyone and everyone, a rollicking reminder that punk rock should also rock.
And rock Poison Idea did, and still do, now thirty-five years older. Confuse & Conquer is their first album in nearly a decade; the first without founding guitarist Pig Champion, who passed away suddenly in 2006. It’s a grand testament to their missing friend – it’s Poison Idea doing what Poison Idea does, and that’s a very good thing. Whereas most of their first-wave hardcore contemporaries were all too serious, Poison Idea tempered their rage with a dark sense of humor. They may not have been the most successful hardcore band, or the most influential, but when it came down to it, they were arguably the most fun.
Perhaps part of Confuse’s consistency lies in the return of second guitarist Eric “Vegetable” Olson, who last played on the band’s second LP, War All The Time, back in 1987. Beneath Jerry’s still-vicious snarl, Olson’s guitar work here drives the record – from the raging “I Never Heard Of You” to the flamenco-tinged Western stylisms of “Dead Cowboy,” these riffs are pure rock, loud and fast and powerful. Though most of Confuse falls into that rock-on-steroids approach, there are a few notable divergences that keep things interesting. “Hypnotic” flirts with cowpunk, with a honky-tonk piano in the chorus – and it manages to get by with a wordless “whoa-oh” b-section that would be silly if it didn’t work perfectly in context. There’s even a surprisingly melodic piano moment on the moody “Psychic Wedlock” that’s so good that they bring it back around to close out the record…
Still, what Confuse & Conquer ultimately comes down to is great punk rock songs, delivered with the band’s signature fury, and there’s no shortage of either. From the opening of “Bog” to the ripping “Beautiful Disaster,” Confuse & Conquer easily earns its place in the Poison Idea catalog. This band is one of the greatest hardcore punk bands of all time, and this is exactly why. They may have gone away for awhile, but they’re back now and they’re still pissed off, so somebody’s gonna get their ass kicked.
And it’s probably you.
