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Capillary Action

So Embarrassing
Pangaea (2008)

There is a small set of musicians that I would consider to be more than just your average artist. When it comes to composing music, the arrangement and execution of these pieces, as one is a feat that only the most talented of individuals can excel at. The most obvious choice to me is Mike Patton. Anyone that has witnessed … Read more

Haram

Drescher
Lovitt (2008)

It's pretty ridiculous to look back on the career of Pg.99 and sort through all the bands that came out of their existence and their ever-rotating members. While many were short lived or are defunct, there are handfuls that still are actively playing. One of these is Haram, with Mike Taylor and Kevin Longendyke moving on from Pg.99 to conqueror … Read more

Vietnam Werewolf

Ohio's City
Independent (2008)

Ever listen to a band and just know if you lived in the same city as them that you would be good friends with them? Vietnam Werewolf comes off to me as one of those types of bands. They are comprised of four nerdy, scruffy looking Nerf-Herder type guys that like their beer and probably wouldn't annoy the living shit … Read more

Fight Amp

Hungry for Nothing
Translation Loss (2008)

Fight Amp (recently shortened from Fight Amputation) is a punk/hardcore outfit that plays a distinctly noisy, bottom heavy brand of punk with vocal chord shredding yelling and screaming going on over top of the morass of sound that relentlessly pummels listeners, and that is just in the live situation. The band tours frequently and this is the latest in a … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Set Foot

Aging
Copper Lung (2008)

Set Foot is a fairly straightforward hardcore band from Vancouver, British Columbia. They may hail from the Pacific Northwest but they're far different from their brethren in the likes of Champion, Sinking Ships, Blue Monday, etc. Rather than draw influence from the worlds of youth crew and posi-revival hardcore, Set Foot takes to the metallic edge. Aging is the band's … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Brain Dead / Rot in Hell

Millennial Psychosis
Feast of Tentacles/Rumor Control (2008)

Millennial Psychosis features two of the best up-and-coming hardcore bands that the U.K. has to offer. If you haven't picked up on these two yet, you're missing out. Brain Dead offer up four songs of punishing hardcore/powerviolence that would do the likes of Infest proud. This U.K. four-piece unleashes a visceral assault onto the listener with blazing riffs and pummeling … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Zhenia Golov

Zhenia Golov
Railroaded (2008)

Zhenia Golov hail from the hardcore factory that is New Brunswick, NJ. I won't bore you with a list of notables that have already made it big, just know that there are a lot of them. Zhenia Golov plays aggressive and raw hardcore punk with a bit of influence from the d-beat world as well. They've got the speed and … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Dynamite Arrows

Blowin' It
Mauled by Tigers (2008)

Dynamite Arrows offers up four tracks on Blowin' It. The four-piece have concocted a fine mixture of melodic punk, hardcore, and traditional pop-punk. Musically I'm reminded of the likes of Kid Dynamite and Latterman. The vocals are a bit less coarse, delivered in a slightly nasal harmony. The pace of the songs is very upbeat and they evoke a very … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Yo Man Go

Life Lessons
Square of Opposition (2007)

Yo Man Go hail from the eastern part of Pennsylvania and they play melodic punk that'll please fans whose record collections boast releases from the No Idea and Fat Wreck catalogs. This two song 7" is the first issued recording from these punk rock upstarts. "Life Lessons" is a melodic punk ditty that features some catch guitar riffs and crooned … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Antillectual

Waves
Square of Opposition (2007)

Straightforward hardcore/punk. That is what The Netherlands' Antillectual offers up on Waves. This 7" features three new songs and three songs from their previous full-length. Antillectual serves up fast-paced hardcore punk with melody streamlined into the songs' structures. Musically I'd compare them to Strike Anywhere or Rise Against, but with a more coarse vocal delivery. The three new songs are … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Masato Tanaka / Pocket Gallows

Split
Robotic Empire (2008)

Square of Opposition Records has teamed up two new bands, or at least two that are new to me team up for a split 12" LP. Masato Tanaka starts things off. Their side of the split contains nine tracks. Over the course of these songs the trio incorporate the worlds of metal, grind, and punk into one. But the most … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Vanessa Van Basten

Vanessa Van Basten (Reissue)
KNVBI (2008)

Fortunately for all, Vanessa Van Basten is not the name of the latest female pop diva. Instead, they are a two-piece instrumental duo from Italy that draws heavily from the worlds of post-rock, metal, and shoegaze. This recording is the band's debut EP reissued on a stunning two-tone colored 12" LP. The album was previously only available as CD-R in … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Bosch's With You

Dreams That Come a Thing Part II
KNVBI (2008)

I believe that Bosch's With You is the first Russian band I've sat down and actually listened to. I can't help but make the excuse that Russia is half a world away from where I reside, but on the other hand, the Internet has made it so easy for us these days. This LP is the second in a trilogy … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Three Steps to the Ocean

Three Steps to the Ocean (Reissue)
KNVBI (2008)

Three Steps to the Ocean is an Italian instrumental outfit. Like their counterparts in Vanessa Van Basten, Three Steps to the Ocean dabbles in the world of post-rock. The recording here is the band's debut EP reissued on vinyl format. Three Steps to the Ocean is a four-piece and together they've assembled a mixture of post-rock and instrumental metal. I'd … Read more

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