''Audit in Progress'' is the third studio album by the

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, rock band

Hot Snakes Hot Snakes are an American post-hardcore band led by Rick Froberg and John Reis, formed in 1999 in San Diego, California. Reis and Froberg had previously performed together in Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu, after which Reis had found internatio ...

, released in 2004 by

Swami Records Swami Records is a San Diego-based independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized e ...

. It was recorded in a similar manner to the band's previous two albums, with guitarist John Reis taking time off from his main band Rocket From the Crypt. In comparison to the band's previous albums, ''Audit in Progress'' is more aggressive and primal. ''Audit in Progress'' would be Hot Snakes' final studio album until 2018's '' Jericho Sirens'', as the members decided to disband following a tour of Australia in Spring 2005 (though '' Thunder Down Under'', a live-in-the-studio album recorded during the tour, was released posthumously in 2006).

Artwork

As a visual artist and illustrator singer/guitarist Rick Froberg provided the album's artwork, while Reis released the album through his Swami Records label. It was the first Hot Snakes release to feature drummer

Mario Rubalcaba Mario Rubalcaba (also known by the pseudonym Ruby Mars) is an American drummer from San Diego, notable as a member of numerous rock bands including Clikatat Ikatowi, Thingy, Rocket from the Crypt, Hot Snakes, Earthless, the Sultans, and Off ...

, brought in to fill the position left vacant by original drummer Jason Kourkounis.

Promotion

At this time the band was able to tour much more extensively than they had in support of previous albums, travelling the

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and Australia. An independent

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was filmed for the song "Braintrust" and a single for the song was planned for release in the UK market (which also would have included the unreleased song "DNR"), but when "Braintrust" was included on the band's ''

Peel Sessions John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

'' EP the following year the proposed single was cancelled.

Reception

Initial

The album was well received by critics and fans. Joseph Larkin called it "the most ferocious record in the Hot Snakes discography, trarely lets up ndpummels without mercy." ''

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'' noted the album's "loud, throttling punk-rock elegance" and compared it to

Drive Like Jehu Drive Like Jehu was an American post-hardcore band from San Diego active from 1990 to 1995. It was formed by rhythm guitarist and vocalist Rick Froberg and lead guitarist John Reis, ex-members of Pitchfork, along with bassist Mike Kennedy an ...

. The latter comparison was again made by Nick Cowen, noting that despite replacing their original drummer: "the Hot Snakes manifesto remains “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Not bad for a band playing some of the most blistering punk rock around." Brian Howe was slightly less positive, citing the aforementioned replacement as one of the reasons: "While Rubalcaba is a proficient percussionist possessed of a distinct style, his crisper, more rigid drumming simply doesn't mesh as well with Hot Snakes' metallic doom-rock guitars and monotone shout-alongs as Kourkounis's rumbling, primal pounding did. ''Audit in Progress'' remains sufficiently fierce, but sounds a little tinny when compared to the rippling muscles of 2002's ''

Suicide Invoice ''Suicide Invoice'' is the second studio album by the San Diego, California rock band Hot Snakes, released in 2002 by Swami Records. It was recorded in a similar manner to the band's previous album ''Automatic Midnight'', with guitarist John ...

''." Jean-Pierre of

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called it "one of the finest albums of the 2004 ic hands down."

Awards

''Audit in Progress'' was named "best punk album" at the 2005

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In popular culture

"This Mystic Decade" was featured in the soundtrack of ''

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''.

Retrospective

The album received renewed critical attention upon being reissued. Nad Khan noted that on the album, "everything is cranked up a notch to quash any signs of complacency. Influences like

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and the more torte instrumental elements of previous incarnations like

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and

shine through the roughed-up recordings. The emergence of a hardcore indebted new wave has clearly been influenced by this album, with the likes of

Pissed Jeans Pissed Jeans is an American hardcore punk band from Allentown, Pennsylvania. The band claims to play "loud, heavy, noisy, punk rock" and is influenced by 1980s hardcore punk and post-hardcore bands. The band has released several seven singles ...

and

Fucked Up Fucked Up is a Canadian hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2001. The band consists of Damian Abraham (vocals), Mike Haliechuk (guitar, vocals), Josh Zucker (guitar), Sandy Miranda (bass), and Jonah Falco (drums, vocals). From ...

all taking cues within their chosen musical styles." In a review of '' Jericho Sirens'', Vish Khanna calls the album and its predecessors "highwater marks for American punk". Emma Johnston called it "fiery, furious" and "cathartic". Alun Hamnet was, however, more mixed, noting the influence of

The Wipers Wipers was a punk rock band formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1977 by guitarist and vocalist Greg Sage, along with drummer Sam Henry and bassist Dave Koupal. The group's tight song structure and use of heavy distortion were hailed as extremely i ...

and comparing it unfavorably to their previous releases.

Track listing

All songs written by

#"Braintrust" - 1:59 #"Hi-Lites" - 2:41 #"Retrofit" - 2:54 #"Kreative Kontrol" - 2:22 #"Think About Carbs" - 2:13 #"Audit in Progress" - 2:30 #"Hatchet Job" - 3:40 #"This Mystic Decade" - 3:03 #"Lovebirds" - 3:14 #"Reflex" - 3:03 #"Hair and DNA" - 2:30 #"Plenty for All" - 1:17

Personnel

* Rick Froberg -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

, lead vocals *

John Reis John Reis, also known by the pseudonyms Speedo, Slasher, and the Swami is an American musician, singer, guitarist, record label owner, and disc jockey. He is best known as the singer and guitarist for the rock band Rocket from the Crypt, which ...

- guitar, backing vocals *

Gar Wood Garfield Arthur "Gar" Wood (December 4, 1880 – June 19, 1971) was an American inventor, entrepreneur, and championship motorboat builder and racer who held the world water speed record on several occasions. He was the first man to travel ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

Magi 44 organ Magi (; singular magus ; from Latin '' magus'', cf. fa, مغ ) were priests in Zoroastrianism and the earlier religions of the western Iranians. The earliest known use of the word ''magi'' is in the trilingual inscription written by Darius ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

*Ben Moore - recording, mixing *Johathan Kreinik - recording *John Reis - recording *Gar Wood - recording *Dave Gardner - mastering *Artwork by Rick Froberg

References

{{Authority control 2004 albums Hot Snakes albums Swami Records albums