Until the End "The Blind Leading the Lost" CD
[Eulogy]
Well, they may have a new vocalist whose shouting is a bit raspier and has a little more of a seething bitterness to it, but musically the band is still dead set on straight up metallic hardcore. Expect midpaced to moderately fast chord progressions, chugga styled breakdowns, and tracks that average around three minutes each. And, yes, I can't help but still compare them to Hatebreed, circa "Under the Knife" or so, notably in tracks like "Traitor". One thing that makes some of these songs just a little more interesting is that they actually make really good use of doubling some of the vocals lines - a tactic that tends to irritate me with a lot of hardcore, but they really pull it off effectively here so that it adds to the material. "Nothing Matters, No One Cares, So Fuck Off" has an absolutely massive breakdown, and it definitely becomes certain later on in the record with cuts like "Nothing Between Us" that repetitive breakdown passages are the base strength of this record. They also cover "Tender Comrade" by Billy Bragg, but you'd never pick it out of the lineup as a cover based on the music they've set it to, that's for sure. The recording works out alright, but I'd like to hear a heavier guitar tone with more fluid crunch, and the bass could play a larger role. The drums sound pretty good for the most part, sometimes the snare gets a little rigid, but the percussion is nice as a whole. I like the vocals as well, there's a bit more character to the new guy's delivery in my opinion. Everything sounds pretty good, I'm not bitching, but a harder hitting guitar tone and more overall crunch in that realm could definitely make an impact. The layout is actually pretty in depth here, with lots of interesting artwork that plays off of military propaganda posters, advertisements, and other printed matter, with sloganeering twisted to sort of mock the current presidential administration and such. The lyrics are inserted amidst more text subversively mocking the current state of affairs, billed under a message from the United States Ministry of Information Dissemination, and there's even a brief statement at the end of the booklet encouraging people to make their voices heard in the election - definitely a different message from the norm with this band. Lyrically, though, despite a few occurrences of socio-political references, there are still a lot of bitter personal tracks, a song or two dealing with straightedge, etc. So it's not all coming from the political side. Overall it looks great and has been damn well handled. Good stuff. A little bit different than their past work on several levels, but definitely still a consistent disc that doesn't stray from their set path. Longtime fans won't be let down one bit. (7/10)
Running time - 25:25, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Total Control, My Own American Dream, Nothing Between Us]
Eulogy Recordings - http://www.eulogyrecordings.com

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