The Vows is the latest hardcore "super-group" to include Rob Moran of Unbroken. After his departure from the impressive Some Girls, he moved to Seattle, Washington and began this band. In the sparse liner notes, the band thanks old Seattle hardcore band Brotherhood and another older group, Amenity, for bringing them together; this is a good indication of the musical style and overall sound that they are trying to produce. I must say that this is a much more straightforward outfit than Some Girls. The Vows also has John Pettibone, recently of the metal band Himsa and formerly of the hardcore group Undertow, on vocals, Ryan Murphy, who also played in Undertow, Ensign, and Ten Yard Fight, and Aram Arslanian of Champion and Betrayed.
As far as the actual content of the EP, the band sounds like the sum of the hardcore elements of the members' collective experiences. It is straight-up, fast-paced, hardcore punk that blows you by almost as quickly as it starts. This isn't a bad trait. Right off the bat, "Fucked and Fired" comes at you with an urgent sound. I like that it doesn't sound like hardcore bands today that concentrate more on the breakdown than the actual song. "Back from the Deads" is my favorite song on the EP. It has a two-step sounding part at the top of the track that rolls into a faster style song. I especially like the Embrace - the old D.C. punk band, not the modern day one - quote "Whatever happened to the value of life." "Fall in Their Lines" is very frantic sounding. It starts out very fast and then slows down to a more mid-paced tempo. "Speak to Truths" has a little more variety in the guitar sound. It's a good change of pace. Lyrically, it seems to be a commentary on the modern hardcore/ punk scene with lines like "Compromise the meaning / Apathy for industry." Thankfully, it does not sound like a bunch of old hats pointing an accusatory finger at the rest of the community.
This is a fast record being that it is over and done in a quick 8:18. It's pretty good. I like to throw it on for real short trips. It is cool that the record was written in one day and then recorded the next; I think that it gives it that raw sound. The Vows made a fun record.
