Awkward Thought "Ruin a Good Time" CD
[Thorp]
Yep, straightforward heavy hardcore with gruff vocal yells out of NYC. They blow through 14 tracks in less than 40 minutes, and most of the songs get to the point in less than two or three minutes. Most of the material ranges from midpaced to somewhat fast and the vocal delivery is unwavering. At times they throw in some good melody, and things can also lean towards old styled metalcore, but never get too far into the "metal" side of the spectrum. The vocals sort of lend a certain oi/streetpunk vibe to the compositions, but it's strictly because of the tone and texture of the guy's voice, not what he's saying or anything like that. "Required Contributions" is a lot more rocked out, complete with some leads and "whoa ohhh" backing vocals - making for a catchier and more memorable affair than much of the other work. The longest song by far is "Lights Out", which also places more emphasis on the rhythm section and hits on a few darker passages a well. Occasionally I can hear a little bit of a Blood for Blood vibe here, but this isn't as heavy or over the top bitter, and there's more of a subtle underlying punk thread too. The sound is pretty strong. The drums are natural, the bass tone is rock solid, the vocals are mixed right in with the music, and the guitars are alright. I don't mind that the guitars aren't that heavy because it works for their style and the density of the drums holds things up, but I'd still like to hear more bass back there. Visually this release is fucking awful, though. I don't know what they were thinking. As if the unrecognizably dark band photos underneath every page of bland text in the booklet wasn't enough, the front cover is inexcusable... It's a bad, bad, bad illustration of a bunch of nude bodies impaled and bleeding on wooden stakes, which has been colored on a computer, and just looks atrocious. This thing rivals some of the worst 80's metal record covers that are out there, but it's got some digital flare rather than being all done by hand, which somehow makes it even worse! The lyrics are bitter, but pretty well done, whether they're attacking life in general, shitty music, politics, etc. I like the fact that the lyrics aren't forced or repetitive, and some of the songs actually have a lot of content. "But now that we're on top, the only way to go is down, I ain't saying we're worse off as I examine open eyed, I'm just asking everyone to think before bleeding blind pride, Who knows how things will change as the centuries go by, But then again who gives a fuck because we won't be alive." This is pretty good stuff. I hate to be a dick, but the cover art sucks so bad that it really makes it hard to take this band seriously, but their musically definitely delivers. Next time around they should reconsider how they handle presenting their work, though. (6/10)
Running time - 36:55, Tracks: 14
[Notable tracks: Take Your Music and Shove It, Required Contributions, Swept Under the Rug]
Thorp Records - http://www.thorprecords.com

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