Day of the Dead "s/t" 7"
[Goodwill]
Here's some melodic old school hardcore from Portugal where I can hear some classic stuff like Gorilla Biscuits and Bold (circa "Looking Back") in there every now and then, though they do have a slight metallic influence, but it's very subtle, and the songs don't come off as metallic, rather slightly more intricate old school styled hardcore with a ton of energy. This is really strong material, I'm surprised this is the first I'm hearing from this band. It's not 100% original, but they're heading that way. "Death Frequency" is definitely one of the most catchy and interesting songs herein, breaking out some harmonic riffs and just a general sense of intensity. "History Written Upon the Blood of the Dead" has a little bit more melody at times, as well as some faster picking patterns and chord progressions, making it another standout track. The only thing holding this back is the recording, which is a little bit too thin. The vocals tend to dominate the mix as well. If things were a little bit cleaner and more evenly mixed this would be sweet, though. It's just sort of raw and distant overall, and while it doesn't detract from the obvious fact that this is a promising band, it does lessen the impact of their efforts. The sleeve is all black, white, and red with a couple of band photos and a high contrast illustration on the cover. Everything else is straight text, but it's so clean and consistently arranged that it works out just fine. All of the lyrics are included, along with brief song explanations, and the content tends to deal with somewhat political issues and taking control of your own life, thinking for yourself, and all that stuff. "What shines is the greed, And we bow down to your power, But the innocents bleed, Minute by minute hour by hour, Wake up sheep, History is written upon the blood of the dead, And as we keep sinking deep, Imperialism and power are still being fed." I'd be interested in hearing a full-length from these guys. I could see them pushing the boundaries a bit more in the future, and with a stronger sound they'd really having something. (7/10)
Running time - 13:00 (approximately), Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: Death Frequency, History Written Upon the Blood of the Dead, Beauty or the Beast]
Goodwill Records - http://www.goodwillrecords.net

This review has been displayed 837 times.