Reviews: Piss Piss Piss – Never Herd of Ambeix

On the title track of Never Herd of Ambeix, Portland’s Piss Piss Piss call out punk elitism, purposefully misspelling and mispronouncing the progenitors of crust punk. Acceptance is not an uncommon sentiment in punk, but a dressing down of the genre’s litmus test ethos is interesting. Throughout the album, Piss Piss Piss clarify their perspective as they are also not interested in those who don’t contribute and leech off of punk’s image: “White Punx on Dope.” Juxtaposed with “Never Heard of Ambeix,” these themes seem to be at odds and illustrate a conundrum—how can you be inclusive while still being exclusive? Perhaps a truth of intention is all that they are looking for. Sonically, NHOA is straightahead D-beat-infused crust that was mastered by Audiosiege, and it fits together perfectly. The Northwest is a hotbed of bands of this ilk, and Piss Piss Piss easily join their ranks. –Peter Fryer