RAZORCAKE (1): - Although I liked their first release enough, Detention Halls blows it out of the water. With a sound that's both more indescribably Boston and more than a little Bent Outta Shape (who the Ringers played with a whole bunch before BOS called it quits), they're sounding like a more confident version of what they were (and still very much are). With lyrics about looking for your own name in the obituaries and watching all the busses driving in the opposite direction you're heading (a feeling I'm all to familiar with), it's surprising how upbeat it leaves me feeling. Great album. (Megan)

RAZORCAKE (2): - I swear, this may sound like it has a back hand to the compliment, but there isn't one. okay, Bent Outta Shape, I'll say it. They broke up too soon. I have no idea why - nor do I care about - how the band imploded, but I though they were on the verge of flat-out greatness. So, like when the space shuttle exploded, right, there were these huge chunks falling back to earth? Ringers caught, refurbished and re-launched one of Bent Outta Shape's fallen chunks of musical missile. Tell me "Nothing to Show" doesn't owe more than a passing blush to "Solitary Now". Now, here's the weird part. Fuckin' go for it, Ringers. Take that baton (with that Rancid O ring). Run with it. Bent Outta Shape stumbled, broke up, kaput. It's your turn in the relay to run that year 2000+ torch of Replacements/Husker Du/Good Music/Leatherface up the stairs, and, I, for one, am cheering you on because it sounds like you've found your legs. What an infectious album. (Todd)

NO FRONT TEETH: - So, a new RINGERS full-length comes along while I still got my teeth firmly sunk into 'Curses' - that record still rocks. Again, fantastic artwork on this baby, they actually changed the original cover art from a band shot to this more collage/cut 'n' paste style which I think suits the band and the record more. You may remember me raving about the art on 'Curses' and well, now I'm raving about the art on here - believe me, being an artist and a reviewer makes you really meticulous and you will really learn to appreciate style and effort. Even if this wasn't a RINGERS record I would have picked it out for review just because of how it presents itself.

OK, to the music.
Yes this is another fantastic album in true RINGERS style. And yes, as soon as the opening 'Two Weeks' hit ,I was hooked. This is a band whose sound is hard to pinpoint, the underlying theme is energy and absolute rocking but they have a vague approach which is excellent. The vocals are brilliant and at times even remind me of, and hear me out on this, a mix of Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen and Phil Lynot.see what I mean? This is not a predictable band at all. They keep things simple and very effective. Just straight forward punk rock. They certainly do things their own way and this is a band who are just what we need right now. This is so fresh and the exact direction I want to move in. Get with this band.

PUNKNEWS.ORG: - Who are Ringers and why don't they put an article in front of their name? Good questions. Ringers hail from Boston and play a nice blend of pretty much every mid-to-late-`90s punk band you could ever want. Their sound reminds me of the halcyon days of East Bay punk via the grime-covered walls at 924 Gilman, a basement show in Minneapolis with some half-clothed larger-than-life men and the times I spent wandering around Boston, freezing my ass off listening to what I like to think of as "old bastard rock and roll."

To be straight, I just queued up the opening track "Two Weeks" after listening to some tracks from Midwestern Songs by D4. It flows perfectly. It's a bit more laid back and features a bit more rock and roll, but overall it's a match. The guitar tones, the snotty vocals, the feeling of depression mixed with a smidge of hope that pokes through in the singalongs and choruses.

As the album goes on there's some verses that call upon Tim Armstrong's off-rhythm cadence from early Rancid albums. There's also guitar lines that remind me of Mung, old Ducky Boys and the feeling of cold, New England rock and roll, kind of what Avoid One Thing touched on in their short time together. Then there's the song "Back Bay," which might as well be a Billy Bragg tune from Back to Basics.

Detention Halls shows a band wearing all their influences on their patched-up hoodies, but rather than annoy with their desire to supplant the existing bands, they seem like they'd rather fit right in with the gang. It's hard to step back from a release like this sometimes and judge it on its own merits but it's the tradition that it's so steeped in and connected to that gives it the appeal that it has.

I almost feel like Ringers have come just a few years too late. Either that or I feel like they should move into the apartment downstairs from me and practice in my hallway. Either way, here's another band putting out some honest punk rock being supported by a great label. What else can we ask for these days? (Some Tool at punknews.org)

NOW WAVE MAGAZINE: - Ringers merge with confidence the spirit of seventies England (except they're from Boston) with the song-workings of nineties garage pop/punk. It becomes blatant from the first listen that they cannot decide whether they want to be The Exploited, Leatherface, Rancid, or the Jam. I'm glad they never made up their mind, as they are a refreshing blend.

With merely ten songs to its name, the new album is an ever-so-slightly flawed but satisfying array of songs, the mood ranging from the assertive opening track "Two Weeks" to the vaguely blues-y "Back Bay". Usually, having a varied tone to a set of songs is impressive, but here there are one or two moments when the LP (that, don't get me wrong, is of stellar quality) begins to irritate: such as "Letter to The Editor" - a throwaway song that tires as soon as the vocals kick in. I wonder sometimes why they didn't replace this flop with a tune more in the mold of the emotive "Graveyard Shift", a perfect pop song that by far overshadows even the brilliance of "Nothing To Show". Going on what I've heard and seen of Ringers' proud label 1-2-3-4 Go!, it seems that we're dealing with honest musicians here who believe as I and many other music fans believe, that records should be affordable and therefore the tunes accessible, as are their own. The price of this record to help fund the life of a band whose output can reach the quality of the titles I've just mentioned is well worth the dough if you ask me.

I really thought I'd have more to say about this, but evidently I don't, which is why I'm committing the shameless Richard Allsop "off topic filler" trick - actually, I'm not sure "trick" is an apt definition for something so blatant. Hey, at least I'm honest: Metal Hammer doesn't even try to make its articles empty in even a remotely discrete way, and you have to PAY something in the three-pound region for that quarter-baked monstrosity!!!!!! Have you ever opened up a Metal Hammer (purely out of sick twisted curiosity) and seen how fucking HUGE their band pictures are in comparison to the farty corner of written material they have to offer??? It's as if they whack that poser crap in just in case the reader has never seen a gormless group of bearded half-wits before. You only need to be in Nottingham's city centre for a mere moment to catch sight of such unmentionable horror.

Anyway, back on topic, Detention Halls is a simple and familiar but original concept that kind of speaks for itself in most ways. There are a lot of exceptional bands pulsating in the underground punk rock scene that just aren't getting the recognition they deserve. Well, let the mainstream suckers have their Mika, their Kooks, and their Beyonce. There are obscure and kind-of-obscure pieces of greatness that are just waiting to be discovered and savoured by the masses, but probably never will and that's a shame. Still, let them go to all that effort of switching on the idiot box and waiting for the next god awful lump of disco shit to dose up their ignorance of soulful music such as this. There's even the ace Magic Numbers, who are as accessible as most of the shit I've just mentioned, and most seem to ignore even them. Bands like the Ringers don't need MTV or Kerrang to be cool. (Richard Allsop)

ASLCE E-ZINE: - A dusty basement somewhere in America. Lots of beards, black clothing and a healthy and positive DIY vibe. Ringers makes you feel you are there. These Bostonians know how to light my fuse with their amazing mix of Gilman Street punk rock and early UK punk snottiness. For those who are looking for the recipe, take a bit of The Clash, a lot of Dillinger Four, a little Rancid and a handful of Pinhead Gunpowder. Et Voila, "Detention Halls" is served! Extremely catchy and dangerously infectious. Too bad the ten tracks are over in a split second. Both the amazing music and the great lyrics, that alsmost read like poerty compared to a lot of their peers, leave me wanting for more.

SOUND AS LANGUAGE: - There is something to be said for playing what you know. Wearing your influences so brazenly does not always have to be a negative approach. On Detention Halls, Boston’s Ringers prove just that with their familiar blend of rocking pop punk. Drawing notable comparisons to bands like Dillinger Four and Leatherface, Ringers blast through ten songs in 24 minutes. Much like D4, Ringers use the multiple vocalists approach. From snotty to gruff, Ringers expertly give off that signature punk attitude. Lyrically, the band touches on the everyday trials and tribulations of life and the frustration that comes with it. The band certainly clocks in a few steps above your average pop punk lyrical mess. Ringers have a definite East Bay feel to their songs even though they call Boston their home. The band brings to mind early Rancid and The Swingin’ Utters on more than a few occasions. Also, the slower tunes give off a definite folk influence which is akin to Billy Bragg. It is always nice to hear a punk rock band who recognizes their roots. Detention Halls may not blow you away but as far as pop punk rock goes, Ringers are the definition of rock solid.