Want to know the weirdest thing in the world? It’s when on track 1 of this emo violence / hardcore extravaganza, Alison from Discount starts doing backing vocals. That weirded me out, even though I knew beforehand that she was going to appear on this album. A bit more understandable is the presence of Mr. Chuck Ragan on another song. If he was a permanent fixture in this band, then, woah. Others: Travis from Moonraker, plus dudes from Strikeforce Diablo, 12 Hour Turn and End of the Century Party. It’s a Florida who’s who!
But enough of that, how is the music? Well, I’d put this at a step above their split with Asshole Parade. The songs are still raging, quickfire bursts of slightly chaotic hardcore, with duel vocalists shouting and screaming out. Everything hammers a long super speedily, but without descending into the murky pit of noise that only bands like the Combatwoundedveteran are capable of surviving intact in. There are occasional bursts of emo hardcore a la Torches to Rome, but for the most part, this lot just set about tearing your head off without much regard for cleanliness. Basically, if you love stuff like End of the Century party, or just mad mad hardcore, then you’ll enthuse over this record. Best song title: “Palatka kills young republican without even batting an eyelash.” Best song: the one with Chuck on.
You can’t fail: hard hitting, fast, one sided red vinyl, crazy etchings, a poster, the infamous sample of Ian Mackaye denouncing ’emo-core’ as a label – “I must say emo-core must be the stupidest fucking thing I’ve heard in my entire life… as if hardcore wasn’t emotional in the first place”.
A fitting epitaph.