No bullshit, no posing. Just two of the best bands in the DIY hardcore scene releasing a split together. Nearly half an hour of new music for you to feast your ears on.
Ampere dominates the first seven tracks, with an emphasis very much on the domination. Furious, chaotic emo-violence very much in the vain of Orchid which could be classed as totally unrelenting if it were not for the fact that the band are able to seamlessly shift from fifth gear straight into a beautiful melodic breakdown at the drop of a pointy finger. The music is perfect, while both the production and the vocals make a notable step up from the bands previous releases. Stephan's screaming/singing combination really makes the songs, particularly when he's delivering such impassioned lines:
And when our buildings topple, we will meet in the wreckage. Among ashen remains, we'll be burning ember. And we'll not leave any tracks. By sunrise, the wind will displace us. It'll be as if we were never there.
Unlike some other frenzied bands that lose sight of substance in the eternal search for the perfect blast beat or ironic song title, Ampere delivers songs which perfectly balance the personal with the political, and work their best when the two cross-pollinate.
After a short silence Sinaloa's five songs commence with the post-apocalyptic themed "The Earth is on Fire," before going onto the high point of the whole record "Tongue to Teeth." Initially posted on their website earlier this year as the teaser for this record, the band should now see a distinct widening of their bandwidth now that I don't have to listen to it directly from their site everyday. Building upon a near perfect melody into a throbbing build up, it finds a home half way between Moss Icon and early A Day in Black and White. Vocally it's not quite shouting, not quite singing but one hundred percent sincerity; check out the way the way Pete sounds as though his lungs could give way at any second as he's delivering the words "This beauty, this sadness." These may not be the most polished or most technically proficient set of songs you'll hear this year, but you'll be hard pressed to find anything played with more conviction and passion.
The split comes beautifully packaged in a cardboard design with a modern autumn theme designed by Pete Zetlan of Sinaloa. A lyric sheet is included, containing Sinaloa's now expected song explanations. Additionally there is a second booklet featuring a small contribution from each member of the two bands ranging from a poem to a short pro- vegetarian/vegan essay. A small personal touch which is infinitely more interesting that the by-numbers thank-yous and shout-outs in most album sleeve notes.
It might still be relatively early yet, but this is probably the best record to hit the streets in 2006 thus far. The sheer amount of diversity, passion, and great ideas crammed into these short twenty seven minutes is astonishing.
