Spit and Argue

A name like "the Greenery" may suggest a tree nursery, but in this case it refers to a Long Beach, California quintet that plays a brand of alternative punk spiked with elements of speed metal and death metal. The musicians set up driving tracks at fast tempos, usually played with punk energy, although they also sometimes slow to metal-like lockstep, all in support of a lead singer who maintains a steady throat-rending screech. His angry tone doesn't keep him from being understandable most of the time, and he declares early on in the title song, "We were born to lose." The mood remains aggressive and desperate throughout, as the singer claims, "The world is falling down around me" in "2012 Packs," worrying that "this could be the end of time." For good measure, he is occasionally joined by a howling duet partner who echoes his lines in even more doom-laden fashion. The Greenery are performing in established styles on Spit & Argue, which doesn't make them distinctive, but no doubt does make for concerts full of enthusiastic headbanging and mosh pit diving.