Welt Albums (4)
'Brand New Dream'
Release Date 6/12/2001
Tracks 14
Label Better Youth Organization
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Kicked in the Teeth Again'
Release Date 9/1/1996
Tracks 12
Label Doctor Dream
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
On Welt's second full-length release on Orange County's Dr. Dream Records, the California punk outfit displays more than a modicum of songwriting growth and delivers their improved material with an immediacy fans familiar with the group should expect. After the success of their raucous debut, Jason Cooper and his band seemed to have put in an extra compositional effort, and 1996's Kicked in the Teeth Again are tight and catchy as a result. Standout tracks include "The Usual" (possibly the record's best), "Half Way," with its hint of emo, and the classic Elvis cover, "Suspicious Minds," done up quick and tasty. While often compared to bands like Face to Face and Pennywise, Welt seemed to be finding their own niche in the crowded punk market place on this 1996 offering. Definitely up to the standard of their first-rate influences, Welt put together solid performances of competent punk material on Kicked in the Teeth Again, earning themselves a spot on the list of formidable '90s SoCal punk bands. ~ Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Welt's slightly derivative '90s punk has a youthful bounce on this debut, but when compared to their obvious influences (Face to Face, Social Distortion), the songwriting on Better Days just doesn't hold up. After the punkers dropped a couple 7" singles in their home town of Sacramento, CA, SoCal punk homestead Dr. Dream Records hooked up with Welt, eventually releasing three full-lengths before the label folded in the late '90s. Bassist/vocalist/songwriter Jason Cooper does a good job leading his bandmates through 14-tracks of punk-by-the-numbers, but his lyrics and choruses have a pedestrian flavor. Tracks like "Better Days" and "Always in My Way" are typically forgettable examples of Cooper's sketchy songwriting. Confident riffs and decent verses give way on these tracks (and others) to ill-conceived, often repetitive choruses that kill the music's momentum. Still, Better Days reveals Welt to be a fairly accomplished unit with a potential that more recording and touring would eventually help the group to realize. ~ Vincent Jeffries, All Music Guide
