Critic's Review
Charles Spano, All Music Guide
Flamethrower is at their best when channeling In My Head-era Black Flag: the thrashy and violent "Drowning and Empty," the ominous "Drop Out" (which maybe even has some vintage Descendents in there), "Mad," with it's Rollins-esque spoken word verses, and the aptly titled "Nervous Breakdown" (not a Black Flag cover, by the way). They're just not as strong as the Queens of the Stone Age with stoner rock ("Coked Up"), and the Supersuckers' cowpunk on the shallow and materialistic "I Want It All" just isn't up to the band's otherwise tremendous standards. It's a great album, for sure, but also one where Flamethrower works out their own unique sound, and they happen to do punk with a little metal mixed in better than vice versa. Give them a raucous punk rock anthem like "27," and they're unstoppable.
