Die Princess Die: Lions Eat Lions

Either Die Princess Die does not remember that the punks screamed for an end to disco at the end of the ’70s, or it just doesn’t care. On its latest album, Lions Eat Lions, the San Diego-based group shows that edgy rock can go hand-in-hand with a danceable beat. The Die Princess Die sound is built on repetitive riffs, pounding bass, strangely tuned guitars, and an occasional electronic beat. Fortunately, the computerized effects don’t diminish the effect of the band’s raw energy. Everything about the album is confrontational, from the unceasingly loud dynamic level, to the distortion on Peter Chekvala’s vocals. Initally, the music is disorienting, but if listeners let go of their expectations and embrace the band’s blistering sonic assault, they will find the album to be cathartic and strangely catchy. Die Princess Die is punk with its head in the future and a finger on the throbbing pulse of the present.