Soapbox draws heavily on Sublime and their penchant towards actual musicianship, while also looking to obviously strong metal influences. This is especially evident in Steve’s solos which are dispersed, with careful discretion, throughout the record. This is another aspect of Soapbox’s music that truly sets them apart from today’s small and deluded two tone scene. One need only examine the record’s final track, “Sports,” for an ample demonstration of the unusual craftsmanship involved in Mr. Alberty’s guitar work.

The other side to Adventures in Misadventure is the record’s inescapable commercial appeal. In many cases this would seem like a snide commentary on the band’s sound. But here it is a testament to Alberty’s ability to craft a quality hook and insert it among back beats that, because of the genre, are as previously examined, usually limiting.

The lead song on the record entitled “Smack,” is a strong example of a track that possesses an extreme playability that is comparable to a Rancid or Green Day tune; good company for a band that wants their music to find the largest audience possible.

Soapbox does not let up on the second track, driving quickly into the swinging and decadent "Liquor Store." The track features some tight, jazz influenced drumming by Paradox drummer Jason Kohring. Pounding the skins like a possessed madman on a throwback trip to the Tommy Dorsey big band days, Kohring sets the stage for the eerie, snapping atmosphere that follows. It oozes off of this song like a drunk sliding off a barstool in a 1930’s blind pig. Combined again with Mike Alberty’s thumping bass lines and a strongly structured west coast punk chorus, “Liquor Store” is definitely one of the most interesting, hybrid style tracks on the record

The album definitely hits its most compelling strides with highlights “FUBAR” – by far the catchiest rift Mr. Alberty lays down – and the metal driven, Metallica meets Operation Ivy explosion, “Halloween.” Both tracks display the best musical attributes of each member of a band that plays exceptionally well as a unit. Which is not always the case with many groups, regardless of the skill of the individual musicians.

Alberty’s vocals and the band’s musical offerings display an amazing adaptability to various genres of music, inserting themselves in a particular position to redefine a genre in dire need of a re-imagining. Soapbox Paradox may very well pull back two tone ska from the brink of extinction, if they are able to continue to build upon the exciting framework they have laid down with this debut.

When considering Soapbox Paradox’s Adventures in Misadventure, do not be scared off by the fact that it is technically a ska album. This record has a widespread appeal that, while upsetting some ska purists (do those still exist?), will most definitely appeal to the majority of ska, metal, and punk fans alike. While Paradox is still roving the independent circuit now, this is a band tailored made for your local modern rock radio station.

It’s a good bet you’ll hear them there before too long.