Review: “Perpetuate” by Roll Call

Envisioned by guitarist Brian Kemsely (Outbreak, Gravemaker) as a New York City based Hardcore band taking that classic NYHC sound but adding a touch of West Coast skatepunk flare, Roll Call reached critical mass in November of 2021 with the addition of drummer James Phillips (Seahaven, Final Fight). Soon after, Chad Leddy (Perfect World) was recruited for vocals in addition to Cornell Ward for bass, solidifying a line up to deliver that vision. They inked a deal in blood with renowned Hardcore Punk label Bridge 9 Records (Death Before Dishonor, Agnostic Front, Backtrack) for their debut EP “Perpetuate“, making the band the label’s first new signings in over three years…

…and what they have given us is six cuts, the longest of which clocks in at 148 seconds, making it a short fast record for people with short attention spans. Blink and you’ll miss it. Sounding like a Sick Of It All demo “Reaper Inside Your Mind” flies through like a greyhound at the dog track at just under seventy seconds. Like all the tracks here it sounds like the band are playing live in a room together with a sense of fun, danger and cohesion all wrapped up with that lightening in a bottle live energy. Chad Leddy sounds like a pissed off Jello Biafra from Dead Kennedys on “I Lose, You Lose” which is nothing short of a NYHC classic anthem. It has all of the elements including a bass drive from Ward while being armed for the apocalypse with a socially aware and politically charged lyrical narrative that is perfectly weighted. That’s swiftly followed by “Exploit Me“, another punch in the face about the rat race and  consumerism so sharp it will draw blood. A blue collar worker anthem, it’s so close to the mark in being the honest truth that it’s hilarious. All chorus, no verse “I Am The Truth” is a middle fingered f*** you to the World, pointing out all the wrongs with a gang chant that will encourage the crowd to join in live. The anticop anthem “Bleed Blue” about how the police want order over justice is another instant just add water classic that needs absolutely no explanation. All the hallmarks are here, the record is pretty much timeless and could have come out at any point over the past 30 years and you’d be none the wiser. It’s great fun from the start with something everyone can enjoy to be found within its confines… [7/10]

Track Listing

1. Reaper Inside Your Mind
2. I Lose, You Lose
3. Exploit Me
4. Contemplating
5. I Am The Truth
6. Bleed Blue

“Perpetuate” by Roll Call is out now via Bridge 9 Records