Voice of Addiction ‘Division Complex’
Voice of Addiction is for every old-school punk rock lover, though they are not necessarily old school. They just happen to deliver some of the most hard-hitting, socially conscious, authentic punk rock with unbending honesty. From the moment Division Complex starts to the moment it ends, they never cease to surprise you with their sharp-edged lyrics and turbulent beats. Vocalizing for the people with aesthetic. To quote them, we’re all 99% identical, then Voice of Addiction is the 1% of punk band that gives you anything but ordinary.
“Division Complex” is a sinister anthem, bending in the haunting, the extreme, the vulnerable and the hard-hitting. Politically charged at heart, the angsty shouted lines explode in fast-paced rhythm and beats. “Silence is violent,” they speak up about capitalism that wages a war on the poor and the rich. Like most tunes in the album that tackles this topic, the track has lyrics that are highly relatable to all the hard-working people out there, being reduced to a small dot, trying to make a living in a maddening economy.
As soon as you hear “Bad Decisions,” you’d realize that every song in this album is going to hit you in a way that you haven’t already. That power comes from vocalizing the truth, no matter that be anger, fear, love, or desire. From lyrics to the music, they explore the different truths from various angles and perspective. There are darker odes that evoke the raw garage, grungy feel, then there are the optimism and unapologetic spirit in an upbeat, brightly colored ska. Then there are those more hard-hitting, boundary destroyers that are cathartic and nostalgic.
“Shinigami” has the sound that hit every punk lover right in the heart. “Nobody thought I’d turn out lie this. I’ve had a lifetime to learn my lesson, but I never quite got the message,” speaks about the disappointment and light self-loathing that every adult could relate, though the song has more “true to yourself” vibe than being depressive. “Every time that I die on the stage trying to beak out my cage, Pretending that I am still half my age.” Again, so relatable.
“We’re Not Free” navigates a hollow, crumbling world of a capitalist society, where the rich is crushing the life out of the poor. “Bought and Sold” shifts to a slightly different perspective of a “constant fight to be free” with ska rhythm. “Eraser” offers a solution, but the sound darkened. It imagines a reality where the debts are erased, children are fed. “We storm the gates of the last bank in town, light up a smoke throw a brick through the window.” “No nations, no border, we won’t learn to crawl.” It’s utopia, but the reality is often disappointing.
Voice of Addiction is quite inventive with their sounds. They speak a lot of truths that need to be said with lyrics that spiritually remind you of Radiohead and turbulent energy like Red Hot Chili Peppers, but sometimes, they also have the universal appeal and identity like Green Day and Nirvana.
