Deviates Time Is The Distance CD Review

I’m generally a very indecisive person. Sometimes it’s because there are too many options and other times it’s just the ol’ ‘tism breaching the surface to overwhelm me. There are instances where I’ll make a decision just to placate someone or even myself without there being any heart or thought behind it. I need to do considerable thinking when someone asks me what my favorite x, y, and z are. My favorite movies? Grab some snacks because it’ll take me some time to get you the answers. Favorite video games? It depends on how I feel at the time, but I can get you a list. Inquiring about my favorite albums? There’s no question. There are two that are at the tip of my tongue at any given moment. Both are very different, but both are always at the top of the mountain for different reasons. The significance here (for me at least) is that I don’t need to run my fingers through the rolodex of my brain. It stays with me at all times.

2001 was an interesting year for me musically. I spent most of my time in two camps - punk/punk rock and all things metal. I was still feeling my way through the minefields of metal, but I loved (and still do!) punk rock. As mediocre as a lot of them were (especially the later releases), I was fond of Epitaph Records’ Punk-O-Rama albums as they helped me discover many new bands. This was the case with the Deviates, whose “Come With Me” was featured on Punk-O-Rama 6 and upon hearing it, immediately changed my life. As soon as those opening guitar riffs hit I was spellbound; however, it wasn’t until I heard the lyrics that I knew this was something immensely deep and profound. The song explores agony, desolation and battling personal demons. In reality, the entirety of the album, Time is the Distance, encapsulates those emotions and so much more. I feel this is why this album is one of my favorites. It spoke to me when I felt I had no one and nothing, as this was around the time my father had passed away after a battle with cancer. His passing and the release of this album coincided around the same time, and I felt it was the universe trying to console me in some strange way. 

Songs like “Twice As Nice”, “One in Ten”, “Profile” and “Start Again” cause a swell of emotions, even 20-something years later. Not necessarily cemented to the memory of my dad, but it takes me back to when I was in high school and reminds me of the people who were in my life and no longer are. I don’t lament those thoughts or memories, conversely, it has the opposite effect and makes me appreciate where I am now and the people who I choose to let be a part of it. Time is the Distance isn’t just an emotional support album for me in a morose way. The controlled frenetic energy captured here is intense enough to stand up against any punk rock or even hardcore albums released at the time. One of my favorite elements of the album is the production and how every instrument is highlighted to showcase how talented the band really was. While every instrument is standout in quality and precision, Donnie’s drumming is some of the best I can recall on any album of this ilk. 

I recall decades ago someone referring to the band as “the next Pennywise”, which I find interesting since Pennywise guitarist Fletcher Dragge was a big fan of theirs and actually produced their first album. They were considered by many to be the future of punk rock, especially by their peers in the SoCal punk scene. Unfortunately, this would be their last album before releasing Holding Out in 2021 and, while solid, doesn’t come anywhere near the warm, welcoming and haptic fire that its predecessor ignited in me two decades earlier. 

~TJ