Two hardcore bands on a 10″ record. Yeah. I reviewed To The Point’s debut elsewhere, and this one maybe has a few more tricks up its sleeve beyond merciless bludgeon. A couple of melodies sneak in and things are chopped up a bit structure-wise, so while proceedings keep to the same fast hc ballpark there’s plenty enough to keep you on your toes. It’s funny, though, because while I’ve never been fond of bands doing those Infest-y OGH OGH OGH vocals (beyond Infest, naturally) and was never the biggest Spazz fan in the world, I’m really quite partial to how Chris Dodge is hollering here. Over on the other side are Canadian maulers Pick Your Side, another band of old hands with admirable pedigrees behind them. Up front and bawling his sodding head off is Jeff Beckman, who’s ex of Chokehold, Left For Dead and, most pertinently, Haymaker. I think Haymaker’s a fair enough point of reference since there’s an old school flavour to proceedings, albeit one that’s welded to an ominously dense sound. Like To The Point they’re pretty great, and provide enough stylistic contrast to ensure you keep flipping the record from one side to the other until the blood begins to flow freely from your ears.
