A18 "Dear Furious" CD
[Victory]
Another full-length from this big time "ex-members of..." band, but I'm not gonna go into that crap because you should know by now. These songs are again heavy hardcore that has enough of a unique flare to be a little hard to pin down at times. They keep things short but sweet (rarely hitting three minutes per track) most of the time, often opting for midpaced rhythms with mild hints of dissonance or melody at times. The vocals are generally straight screams, but there are some clearer shouts, spoken passages, and a few moments of "yelling in key" type stuff. I think overall the songwriting on this record is a little better than last time, if for no other reason than things are a bit more consistent, but not one-sided or boring. It's definitely not overly exciting or energetic, but there aren't any bad songs either, so it's a strong listen for its duration. "The Soundtrack to a Glamorous Goodbye" is among the more memorable tracks, with "Jailhouse Rob" by far the most powerful, pissed off, and insanely in your face track of the disc - it's not super heavy at all, but the vocal performance is fucking genuinely expressive, and the rhythm really carries the track. Fucking impressive. The midpaced Cro-Mags-ish instrumental prelude to "Marco Polo" opens into this blazing fucking masterpiece which is another surefire winner, among the fastest and most traditionally "hardcore" track of the disc, not without its slower breakdowns. The last track is a cover of Egg Hunt's "We All Fall Down". I'm not familiar with Egg Hunt, but this track does stand out as having more of a subtle punk inflection to it. I have no real problems with the production. Could be better, could be far worse. The mix is even and there's a lot of density across the board, etc. I might like to hear a bit more brightness/definition in some respects, but it's not a bother in the least. The bass tone is awesome, I think the drums sound pretty damn good, the guitars are fine, and the vocals have a lot of character. Design-wise it looks good, admittedly the concept of bloody hands in front of a typewriter holding bloody paper that reads "there must be something wrong with me" over and over is pretty goofy, but the actual execution looks solid. Lyrically this shit is bitter as fuck, to a rare degree, certainly 10 times over compared to the band's past work. Just check out lines like, "Adhere to the foundation as the dying menstruate, dry and set," or "I fucking hate you. The old fashioned way where I want you dead. Your family dead. Your friends, your coworkers erased..." It's awesome to see a band with some true scene veterans in its ranks still improving after so many years at this style of music. If these guys could get to the point where most of their tracks are as vicious as "Jailhouse Rob" or "Marco Polo" I'd fucking shit myself. Good fuckin' stuff. (7/10)
Running time - 33:59, Tracks: 13
[Notable tracks: The Soundtrack to a Glamorous Goodbye, Jailhouse Rob, Marco Polo]
Victory Records - http://www.victoryrecords.com

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