When Tigers Fight "s/t" CD
[Indecision]
Fuck yeah. Here's the deal: Any band with Mike McTernan (ex-Damnation A.D.) on vocals is gonna kick ass. Any band with Mike McTernan on vocals, Jonathan Dennison (The Promise) on guitar and bass, and Jarrod Alexander (The Suicide File) on drums is definitely gonna kick ass. Any band with Mike McTernan on vocals, Jonathan Dennison on guitar and bass, and Jarrod Alexander on drums, whose EP starts out with a song called "Fuck Tonite", simply does kick ass! The songs are short as shit and cover a lot of ground quickly so you're left wanting more. Aforementioned opener "Fuck Tonite" is a minute-and-a-half of surprisingly rocked out hardcore with McTernan's trademark yelling solidifying its presence and definitely giving the band a unique and identifiable sound; "Forsaken" is barely over a minute flat and has a straight up hardcore approach twisted up with atypical chord phrasings and quick little melodic layers comparable to some of The Promise's work; "I'm Sorry" reverts to some heavier rock riffs but keeps the tempos energetic and the lyrics vitriolic; "String Up" is a little more explosive with its picking patterns and speedier tempos; while closer "Dernier Cri" is the only track that hits three minutes and often takes a moderately slower drive with some rhythmic intensity that loosely resembles some of Damnation A.D.'s later work given more of a basic hardcore edge - making for my favorite song herein for sure. The recording suits me fine as well. The vocals are intense and up front with a lot of layering but don't get distracting, the guitars are heavy and have some texture, the bass tone is absolutely perfect, the drums are crisp yet warm, etc. I have no complaints there at all. It could use a scarce hint more polishing up, but fuck it, it sounds damn good. The packaging is all black and white and uses minimal imagery for a consistent appearance. As always when Mike McTernan's involved the lyrics are fucking great, pulling no punches and coming off with more sincere bitterness than most, from lines like, "I'll see you in hell, Let the sun light up those pretty little empty eyes, It's not going to be alright...", to, "Will you ever know how much it sucks to hate myself so fucking much, It's not a lack of love, This just hurts too much, I won't drag this out, This is my last goodbye..." Also indicative of this record's anger is the fact that the credits also read, "A very special thanks goes out to the lack of originality, spirit, and honesty in hardcore music out there to help inspire this record." Nice. The only thing about this EP that's even remotely disappointing is that it's too fuckin' short. Not even a full 10 minutes!? Fuck that. Give me a full-length. This shit rules. I'm totally behind this. Awesome. (8/10)
Running time - 9:44, Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: I'm Sorry, Dernier Cri, and the others as well]
Indecision Records - http://www.indecisionrecords.com

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