Oh for the love Mike, I need to stop swooping down on these split CDs on the promo list. I am always disappointed. I mean I try to be all for new bands and their new music but Through Trials and the Plead the Fifth are trying to battle out for being the most generic hardcore band of all time. And the winner? Surely not this reviewer. Through Trails goes through the motions of playing mid-tempo hardcore with somewhat nasally vocals and it's never anything great. They have nice crunch to the guitars and of course breakdowns, but what hardcore band doesn't? Snoozefest. Plead the Fifth is more of the same, but a little more thuggish in their delivery. If you like Trapped Under Ice and want to hear their uninspired little brother, than Plead the Fifth is just for you. When they play fast they do remind of Striking Distance, with none of the anger of the all out mosh fun of that band. I could care less if I ever heard either one of these bands again. I know hardcore isn't always known for its originality but please do something a little different every once in awhile. Read more
"Raw Power’s got a son named rock n’ roll" Leave it to Iggy Pop to both boast about this record … Read more
With three years since their last full-length, Young Livers have returned in top form. Of Misery & Toil walks the … Read more
Tigers Jaw are an indie rock band with heavy emo influences based out of Pennsylvania. Think early Weezer meets The … Read more
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Seriously, The VSS are getting the reissue treatment from Hydra Head. Not only is this a completely unexpected revelation, but it is one that will probably go mostly unnoticed by most people, which is rather unfortunate considering how excellent the original version of this record was. Then again, The VSS (featuring ex-members of the equally and criminally unappreciated Angel Hair and from which members went on to be in Red Sparowes, Year Future, and others) will more than likely end up as one of those criminally under appreciated groups that a few people will thoroughly enjoy and considering that the group's lifespan was a relatively short period of time (roughly two and a half years from January 1995 until July 1997), maybe such notoriety is the best to be hoped … Read more
Lucky Me is easily my most anticipated release of 2010. When I first started listening to hardcore, Killing The Dream were one of the first bands I connected with. Over the years they have become one of my favorites. I’ve been practically frothing at the mouth waiting to get my hands on this record, but upon giving it a few … Read more
Rorcal, from Switzerland, present Heliogabalus , a near-perfect doom/drone album. This record is so dark that the cover can’t even be seen on a computer. Hell, the music is so dark that some may not even be able to listen it. It takes a valiant effort to listen to a 1 song album that clocks in at 70 minutes, especially … Read more
It would be hard to take the Sass Dragons seriously, were it not for the quality of their recorded material. On stage, the fuck-all Chicago band comes across as a snotty, obnoxious, and somewhat sloppy band with more than a hint of frontman posturing. Of course, when reviewing a record called New Kids on the Bong, maybe one shouldn’t be … Read more
In theory, Less Than Jake covering catchy theme songs and product jingles sounds like a good idea. It seemed to work in the past. However, Less Than Jake’s TV/EP will fall short of your expectations.It’s hard to be too critical of an EP that was meant to be a fun project. The problem is, this project doesn’t have much replay … Read more
Cipher is one of those bands that if you were to describe their unique sound to someone, they would undoubtedly be left scratching their heads and asking, “what is it that makes this band good again?” I always put up with quite an internal and external struggle when describing the band to people that have never heard them before. However, … Read more
The Dopamines first caught my attention when they released a 7” that pays homage to the Big Black Songs About Fucking cover. Sure, they sound nothing like the seminal Chicago band, but anyone who gives props to that record ends up on my radar in some form. Moving forward to 2010, the Cincinnati band has signed with Paper & Plastick … Read more
Bring Out Your Dead features members of Scraps and Heart Attacks for anyone else out there that gives a hoot. I liked Scraps and Heart Attacks so I was excited hear this EP. What we have here is a metal band that plays fast and has some nice melodic picking parts and some decent early 2000's type mosh to it. … Read more
If there's nothing that I hate more is moshcore bands that feel it necessary for their mosh parts to have mosh parts over mosh parts. Ulitma Victima are from Mexico and sing (well bark) in Spanish. The last time I took a Spanish class was in the 10th grade so I have no clue what's going on here. I can … Read more
Maybe, just maybe, the internet is the reason that some ideas or feats of intellectual wizardry become tangible objects. This could be due to some radical phenomenon, or it could even (gasp) be due to the quality of the work on display. This little theory works in several ways for the duo who are Have A Nice Life. And, if … Read more
Post Metal is a pretty loaded genre tag. Most people (myself included) find it misleading. The idea relies on the idea that more effects on your guitars and a sense of dynamics and ambience equal being less than metal. Gholas are a band that seem to fit in this general idea of a genre. They play with a sense of … Read more
What a seriously excellent release, regardless of its aural brevity, from Trap Them (whom are quickly becoming a stalwart outfit in the independent punk / hardcore / metal genres). Relentless touring, passion, and good records will do that for bands sometimes. Particularly if they do so in same furious manner this band has. Filth Rations, though, is different from other … Read more
Some of my most unforgettable moments in hardcore involve Terror. I first saw them headline a show after I trudged through a harsh January blizzard, where a 20 minute drive turned into almost an hour-long commute thanks to Pittsburgh’s signature winter weather. They played direct support when I saw one of my favorite bands, Earth Crisis, for the first time. … Read more
Right off the bat you can’t help but feel Best Coast’s full-length debut, Crazy for You, is going to be an album you listen to every summer to come. This indie-pop group has a sound that goes hand-in-hand with enjoying the sun while lying on the beach. However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. On the surface, Crazy For You … Read more
Forget Taylor Swift and the rest of her incorrigible ilk, according to the recent accolades, the future of country music belongs in the hands of Caitlin Rose, a twenty-three year old Nashville native whose looks are only surpassed by her voice. Though this might seem like an outlandish statement, in the last year, in one EP and this, her debut … Read more
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