v/a "Suck City IV" compilation CD
[Superhero]
This huge compilation includes mostly European metalcore bands and the majority of the songs are previously released, so it's sort of like a sampler that represents a ton of different bands and labels in well over an hour's time. I tend to be a huge fan of this general style, so there's a lot of crushing shit on this thing, and even some of the less than stellar tracks are promising. Some of the more known acts herein are Sheer Terror, Subzero, and Born From Pain, who need little explanation, with newer notables like Sledgehammer and the Slumlords also making appearances. Elsewhere, Jaylan drops some midpaced metalcore with a little bit of melody and some interesting vocals that combine a hip-hop sort of flare and a little bit of backup singing, the oddly (and poorly) named Fat Society unload plenty of chugging mosh with a mix of sneering screams and lower growls in "Dictation of a New Life", Wake Up Cold uses too many pinch harmonics for me but the thick dissonant chords and pounding tempos are surefire keepers, Criminal Waste's "What Went Wrong" has an awesome mid-90's east coast metalcore sound with midpaced tempos and pissed vocals, etc. Also in place are a couple of killer Finnish acts that I've reviewed in the past, such as Bolt and Cutdown, while more of a heavy old school sound comes from groups such as I Reject, Knuckledust, Bring it On, and Mindgrab (whose dual vocal approach is very effective). As is often the case with collections like this the main thing holding many of the songs back is an inadequate recording, but there are several potentially forceful bands in that realm as well. Vendetta has too raw a recording but does offer up some vicious grooves and sick vocals that have a really over the top approach, Zero Mentality would really smash with a crisper and thicker sound, Serial Tilla is way metal and has death metal styled vocals mixed with yelling and throws down some ripping riffs, and Anticops unleash a sick track with energetic speeds and bitter vocals that's pretty damn cool - a clearer sound would absolutely destroy on this one! The layout keeps it simple with minimal artwork and a minimal color scheme, listing the releases on which the tracks originally appeared inside with contact information for the bands and labels. You could definitely loosely compare this series with the old "East Coast Assault" compilations, which are some of my favorites ever, but the audio quality is a little less consistent on this outing, so... that can hinder the listen. There are a lot of bands to watch out for on this thing though, so I'd be curious to hear the earlier volumes of "Suck City", or subsequent editions should they arise. (6/10)
Running time - 73:46, Tracks: 27
[Notable tracks: Fat Society, Bolt, Knuckledust, Cutdown, Subzero, Born From Pain, Mindgrab, Criminal Waste, Anticops]
Superhero Records - http://www.superherorecords.com

This review has been displayed 1589 times.