The “Punk Goes…” series has gotten extremely popular over the past few years. There have been 15 albums in the series, starting with “Punk Goes Metal” back in 2000 and the most recent being “Punk Goes 90s Vol. 2” that was just released on April 1, 2014.

“Punk Goes 90s Vol. 2” is a total throwback. It delivers some classic 90s songs with some of today’s biggest names in the heavy music industry. With a special cassette version of the album being released, you know it’s going to bring back some nostalgic memories.

This album has been hyped for months, but does it live up to the hype? Here’s my track-by-track review:

1. “My Own Worst Enemy” by Get Scared (Originally performed by Lit) – This was a great choice to open up the cd with. It’s energetic, it’s a well known song, and it’s a band that is just starting to get the recognition it deserves. Fearless Records did a good job starting with an up and coming band, giving them their time in the limelight. This is probably one of my favorite songs on the album. They didn’t change up the song much though, and this is the biggest flaw in the cover in my opinion. It sounds great, but it’s incredibly similar to just listening to the original song. When I hear a cover, I like to hear the sound of the original song but with the covering band’s style much more heavily involved. Overall though, this was a great song, especially if you’re a fan of Get Scared.

2. “Interstate Love Song” by Memphis May Fire (Originally performed by Stone Temple Pilots) – This was actually one of the more disappointing tracks for me. I am a huge fan of Memphis May Fire, but I am not a huge fan of this song. I think that is all because of song choice though. It has the Memphis May Fire sound and they put their own twist to it, but it still has the Stone Temple Pilots feel to it and is just kind of boring at most parts. The vocals sound great, (which I’ve come to expect from Matty Mullins) and the guitars are interesting enough, but as a whole it just doesn’t sound complete. This is probably one of my least favorite tracks on the album.

3. “Closer” by Asking Alexandria (Originally performed by Nine Inch Nails) – Let me start off by saying this: Nine Inch Nails is not one of my favorite bands, but they have fantastic songs and skill. They have a unique sound and are incredibly talented. These are some of the many reasons their songs should not be covered. Asking Alexandria’s cover of “Closer” is a prime example of that. It’s easily one of the three worst tracks on the album. I know when it comes to Asking Alexandria, you either love them or hate them, but I’ve always enjoyed their music prior to their latest cd. This song is a low point for them, though. It is a boring cover with boring instrumentals, and Danny Worsnop’s voice does not do justice to Trent Reznor’s. While the bad aspects of the song outweigh the good, there were some good parts. About halfway through the song, Worsnop lets out some of his signature screams and the guitars have a sound that reminds me of old Asking Alexandria. All in all, this is my third least favorite song on the album.

4. “Everlong” by The Color Morale (Originally performed by Foo Fighters) – After a two track downhill climb, The Color Morale brought my hopes and excitement back up for Punk Goes 90’s Vol. 2. This song is one of my favorites on the cd. It’s a cover of an excellent song and it’s done extremely well. There is soul and passion in the vocals, and while the instrumental parts aren’t changed up much, it combines the sounds of Foo Fighters and The Color Morale perfectly. Most The Color Morale fans would find this cover phenomenal, and I would have to agree.

5. “All Star” by Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! (Originally performed by Smash Mouth) – “All Star” has got to be one of the most quintessential 90’s songs. In the late 90’s and early 2000’s, it was hard to find any movie or TV show that this song wasn’t in. I admit, I was nervous when I saw that Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! was going to be covering it. I haven’t listened to them since their first album, and I was never a fan of it. Hearing this cover was a very pleasant surprise. It seems Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! has matured greatly in their music since their debut studio album was released in 2010. This cover did the original song the justice it deserves and then some. It stayed true to the original, yet it added it’s own little flare. The breakdown at about the two minute mark really surprised me, and I really enjoyed it. They added their own part to the song without distracting too much from the Smash Mouth version.

6. “Comedown” by Mayday Parade (Originally performed by Bush) – This was the biggest surprise on the album to me. When I first turned it on I thought to myself, “Oh great, another Mayday Parade song on a ‘Punk Goes…’ cd. I haven’t heard enough of those.” I was blown away. I have never really liked Mayday Parade, but this is in my top three favorites songs on this album. There was so much passion in Derek Sanders’ voice, and the instruments sounded excellent. The original song definitely has a dated sound at this point, and Mayday Parade just revived it. I can’t give this song enough praise. This is the only one on the album that I’ve gone back and listened to for my own enjoyment so far.

7. “Du Hast” by Motionless in White (Originally performed by Rammstein) – “Du Hast” is not a song that should have been revived. It should have stayed in the 90’s. It’s boring and repetitive. Motionless in White did nothing to change that. I don’t actually think they changed a single thing in the song. The instruments are all the same, and Chris Motionless’ voice sounds so uncannily similar to the original version, it’s almost hard to tell the difference. When I listen to music, I typically try to put aside the bad and look for the good, but there is almost nothing good about this song. If you enjoyed “Du Hast” by Rammstein, you will enjoy this song. It’s almost exactly the same.

8. “Today” by Yellowcard (Originally performed by The Smashing Pumpkins) – I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first listened to this song. I hadn’t heard anything from Yellowcard since Lights and Sounds came out back in 2006. I grew up on “Ocean Avenue” though, so I was pretty excited to hear this song, especially since I’ve always been a fan of “Today”. I was both pleased and disappointed at the same time. Yellowcard sounded just like I remembered them, but I don’t think the cover necessarily did the original justice. It sounded almost like it was rushed and there wasn’t as much effort put into it as there was potential. Yellowcard used the signature violin to their advantage and it worked amazingly well. If they would have put forth a little more effort into making the song more original and less a direct cover, it would have been much better. Still a great track, and one of my favorites on the cd.

9. “Torn” by Hands Like Houses (Originally performed by Natalie Imbruglia) – Hands Like Houses is a band I’ve never really listened to but heard great things about. This cover is convincing me to get their cd’s and get more into them. It’s a wonderful rendition of the original song. Trenton Woodley’s voice gives me goosebumps at multiple parts of the song. All of the instruments are interesting and put an new-age spin on a classic 90’s song. It stays true to the original while giving it a unique and fantastic sound. I had no idea what to expect going into the song knowing a male vocalist was going to be covering an incredible female vocalist, but I was extremely impressed with the outcome. This may be my favorite song on the album.

10. “Southtown” by The Ghost Inside (Originally performed by P.O.D.) – I was very excited to hear that there was going to be a P.O.D. cover on “Punk Goes 90’s Vol. 2″ because they were one of my favorite bands back in the very early 2000’s. I had never heard of The Ghost Inside before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect about their sound. When I heard the familiar intro, I instantly felt a burst of nostalgia. When the vocals came in, I instantly became obsessed. Even though the vocals were screamed, unlike the original, it sounded a lot like P.O.D.’s vocals in a way. The instruments and song as a whole are much heavier than P.O.D.’s version, but with my taste in music now, I enjoy this much more. It’s the heaviest song on the album, and easily one of my favorites.

11. “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Falling In Reverse (Originally performed by Coolio) – I let out a heavy sigh when I read this on the track list. Ronnie Radke is one of my least favorite people on this planet, and Falling In Reverse one of my least favorite bands. I tried going into this song with an open mind and put my past feelings aside, but that didn’t change the outcome. This song is just awful. By far the worst on the album. From the slowed down grunt in the beginning all the way through the end, this song is just terrible. Radke attempts rapping and fails miserably. It reminds me more of the Weird Al Yankovic parody of “Gangsta’s Paradise” than the actual Coolio version. Not only is the rapping bad, but the screams are weak and sound way too forced out. The group chants during the chorus don’t sound all put together. At about the three minute mark, there is a chaotic blend of guitars and drums that actually sounds pretty cool, but is immediately followed by Radke laughing and making swearing unnecessarily. After that, he goes on a speech about how great Fearless Records and the other bands on the album are, then makes a shameless plug for Falling in Reverse that legitimately made me laugh out loud. The synth overpowers most of the instruments, which is disappointing because the sound of the guitars is not bad and are the only redeeming quality about this song.

12. “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Ice Nine Kills (Originally performed by Green Day) – The Ice Nine Kills cover was the song I was most excited for yet most nervous about on this album. I love Ice Nine Kills, and I love old Green Day, but this was a bold cover. Almost every band and guitar player do a cover of this song at some point in their career, so to make one that stands out takes a lot of talent and ingenuity. I wasn’t sure whether I was expecting a slow acoustic cover or a fast paced heavy version, but it was surprisingly in the middle. While I enjoyed the overall sound of the song, I wasn’t too impressed with it. Knowing how talented Ice Nine Kills is, I was hoping for them to take a much different spin on it, but it was fairly lacking in drastic changes. They did make it sound much more rock influenced, and the fast paced change was really cool and I enjoyed it a lot. It had some great parts in it, the vocals sounded excellent, and the violin in the background really pulled it all together. Overall, this was in the top half of my favorites on the cd, but I wasn’t as impressed as I was hoping.

Overall, this was a very solid cd. One that I plan on listening to a lot in the coming weeks. I was impressed more with the bands that I wasn’t expecting much from. My advice is to listen to the songs with an open mind. You just may be surprised like I was. I give Punk Goes 90s Vol. 2 a 7/10.

Check out the album here.