Labels: Ed Walters Records
Review by: Kunal Nandi
I’m so shallow. One look at the band photo and I thought I was in for some serious bouts of goatee-stroking math-rocking jazzy hardcoriness. Or something. That was based purely on a 33% beard strike rate “” way too low! What I got instead was a solid half-hour of ass-kicking hardcore.
On the first pass, it doesn’t immediately strike you as anything remarkable. It’s speedy and aggressive like a lot of music is nowadays, but lacks the catchy hooks of a band like Tragedy, or the pure fury of Guyana Punch Line. It’s still good dual-vocalled throaty hardcore, and they’re not averse to wailing out the odd metallic solo which is nice to hear.
Their heart is quite clearly in it though, as even a cursory read through the pointed, if slightly clichéd, lyrics will prove. Every song’s lyrics are printed along with explanations and suggestions for further reading, so at least their brains are in the right gear. When I’m not feeling the music to quite the extent I’d like, the booklet’s there to pick me up.