My Revenge! "Less Plot, More Blood" CD
[Thorp]
Ironically this is the second of Thorp's recent releases that bites off the theme riff from "Halloween" (here in the unnecessary and relatively uneventful instrumental intro "Haddonfield Illinois") before cranking out some gruff hardcore with an old school approach that has some throaty vocal yells alongside generally straightforward chord progressions that often lean towards the heavier side. Most of the songs run from one to two minutes and never get too fast or too slow, sticking instead to a variety of fairly tactful tempos that get a nice driving energy on the faster side and a good, hard breakdown edge otherwise. I actually really like the vocals here, they're pretty unique for the most part and definitely give the band a different sort of sound. There are a couple of awkward moments both musically and vocally that lose impact, but pound for pound the band hits consistently. There are some unexpectedly melodic riffs as well, never getting too overt or anything, but definitely seeping in for subtle variety. "Passing in the Breakdown Lane" is a shorter, faster track at 20 seconds; "You May Be Hot But You Have No Personality" is a great straightforward hardcore song that reminds me of a heavier Minor Threat; "Trucks and Wheels Across Your Face" has more of a rock undercurrent to it; etc. The recording has some roughness to it but I think it works well. The mix is nice and controlled so nothing overpowers, you can hear the bass plunking away behind the dense guitars, the drums sound pretty good, and the vocals fall in with the music without losing their identity. If I could change anything I might brighten up the guitars and vocals just a tad, hopefully giving the bass just a little more space in the process. The layout's alright, could be better, could be worse. I'm not wild on it but it gets the job done just fine. The lyrics aren't quite as sarcastic as song titles like "You May Be Hot But You Have No Personality" or "Jesus Was Black", but they take a direct approach on topics such as being an individual and living for yourself, the way corporate business has been honing in on skateboarding, the current climate of "post-terrorism" fear in the US, etc. I like this, it's just not grabbing me too hard. There aren't that many songs that really jump out at you, so it's a consistently good, but never great CD. There's nothing I dislike about it, I just think it needs a little more activity to hold my attention. I wouldn't call it boring, I'm not sure what the proper word is for it. Good, but not great... that's all it boils down to for me. If you're all about straight up hardcore don't rule 'em out, though. (6/10)
Running time - 22:24, Tracks: 13
[Notable tracks: Stand for Something or Fall for Everything, Less Plot, More Blood, You May Be Hot But You Have No Personality]
Thorp Records - http://www.thorprecords.com

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