Review / 200 Words Or Less
Ability
Expired

Fineprint (2008) Michael

Ability – Expired cover artwork
Ability – Expired — Fineprint, 2008

Ability is a five-piece hardcore band from the Northern outskirts of Los Angeles. Expired is their debut effort and the 7" features five cuts of solid mid-tempo hardcore. Musically the band mixes together the guitar tones of Bad Brains with the thick rhythm sounds of Burn. "Work of Ages" is a good example of what the band has to offering. The last track, "Swallowed," has kind of a Betrayed meets Inside Out sound to it, but that's probably because Todd Jones wrote the song (he is credited with writing it, which seems rather odd that this is the second band this year I've encountered with this footnote). Overall, this is a good debut that is quite reminiscent of the early Revelation catalog.

7.0 / 10Michael • July 6, 2008

Ability – Expired cover artwork
Ability – Expired — Fineprint, 2008

Recently-posted album reviews

PitchBlack

Walking on Burning Ground
Producciones Paganas (2025)

Formed in the mid-2000s, PitchBlack have always been one of Danish metal’s most overlooked heavy hitters. A band is sitting between old-school melodeath grit and European thrash aggression, building a reputation on intensity instead of trends. They debuted with Designed to Dislike in 2007, followed it with The Devilty in 2011 (which landed them spots at Copenhell and Download UK), … Read more

Speed

All My Angels EP
Flatspot Records, Last Ride Records (2025)

If you haven’t hopped on the SPEED train when they broke through, now is the time. The band formed in Sydney and blew past “local band” status the second the world caught up to what Australia already knew. BIPOC-fronted, community-driven, and fueled by the belief that hardcore is supposed to mean something. They went from DIY shows to global festivals … Read more

Anna von Hausswolf

Iconoclasts
Year0001 (2025)

One of the most distinct voices of the current generation, Anna von Hausswolff's sound is wide and far-reaching. From dark ambient atmospherics and organ music fixation, to noise rock momentum and neo-classical arrangements, her music always balances a primordial ritualism and contemporary applications. It is an ongoing process, one that Anna has been refining over the years. In 2018, the … Read more