Folsom "If You're a Viper" CD
[Spook City]
Here we have six quick tracks of metallic hardcore from Las Vegas in less than 12 minutes.  It's definitely more metal than usual, but still follows a crunchy midpaced backbone with lots of mosh.  The vocals are straight yells that have a rhythmic style that fits in with the groove laden delivery of the chord progressions well, and no, that doesn't mean there's a hip-hop thing going on there... despite a little bravado in tracks like "Another Day in Sin City" (with lines like, "Motherfucker, what?" and such).  To contrast that there's the more rocked out side to "Guitars and Memories" that has some basic rock ‘n' roll chords amped up with more distortion, and even the vocals have a very faint air of actual singing - but it's not singing, so... that's probably for the best.  "Wasted Away" has some faster and more straightforward elements going on, and then closer "Mandatory Merle" borrows the lyrics from Merle Haggard's "Bottle Let Me Down" and almost uses a street punk sounding style complete with "whoa ohhh" backing vocals and such.  I'm not really into the recording since the drums are so damn crisp and kind of cut through the mix, but I can listen to it.  The guitar sound is alright as far as heaviness but has a rawer edge to it than anything else, whereas the vocals are mixed way too loud and sound thin and separated from the music.  They need to give the bass more breathing room, beef up the percussion, and generally tighten up the mix to keep thing sounding fluid and controlled.  The only aspect of the layout that I can't stand is the back cover, which just looks cheesy as shit and almost ruins an otherwise tasteful and consistent aesthetic.  The lyrics are way direct and in your face with a totally pissed attitude, which I often dig, though all the references to their crew and stuff like that kind of keep the listener from being able to identify with but so much of the content, you know?  I'm not that into this.  I definitely think they're on the right track with their approach, but the recording plays a significant role in hindering the impact of these songs.  The production is definitely the biggest issue, but I do wish the lyrics revolved a little less around the general locale of the band's home city, you know?  The writing could stand to be a little more consistent, too.  Some of the rocked out stuff can definitely throw you for a loop. (4/10)
Running time - 11:21, Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: Piss Up a Rope, Wasted Away]
Spook City Records - http://www.spookcityusa.com

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