Melbourne-based five-piece CIVIC are back with the follow-up to their debut Future Forecast. The band is able to produce and manipulate a chaotic proto-punk sound into something that you just want to move to. If you are remotely into more throwback punk, CIVIC are going to be right up your alley. Our favorite on the album was probably "Fly Song" a gut wrenching ripper of a tune that held blistering rhythms and a guitar solo that made our head spin.
In the same vein, CIVIC can slow it down a bit as they do on "Trick of the Light", which features mellowed out verses and a hook that kicks it into gear a bit. However, it doesn't have the same punk sound the other tracks on the album do.
Overall, CIVIC is able to bottle chaos into a beautifully packaged record for the listener. If you're remotely attracted to a more hardcore sound, you'll find Taken By Force to be a worthwhile album for you. We certainly know it was for us.
Rating - 4.5/5