Review: Walken - "Walken"
While graced with a bold alias universally recognized, the challenge of competing with iniquitous thespian and perennial SNL host Christopher Walken for the corresponding section of the encyclopedia is futile and bound to lead only to disappointment. Even so, this Walken puts on a memorable and impressive show through more than half the 11 songs that compose their self-titled full-length. A sound of equal parts bludgeoning hardcore punk à la a tighter, more crisp Akimbo and the Bay Area thrash sound of yesteryear, Walken fruitfully ignites a musically articulate intensity all too rare. The paradigm of this punk/metal dualism is the album opener “Watch It Burn,” which highlights both the triumphs and pitfalls of such an amalgamation. While the straightforward punk tenacity propels the songs forward at their most forceful, the dynamic metal riff interplay at times counterbalances and at times seems to nearly negate whatever energy had been amassed. The melodic metal parts often sound awk...