The Bonds "Not a Phase" CD
[Tuned to You]
Here's a quick EP of straightforward, melodic, old school styled hardcore from this Canadian outfit. It's nothing new, expect midpaced to moderately fast chord progressions, yelling vocals, standard bass buildups and breakdowns, the occasional lead break or open chords, etc. Honestly it's not really doing that much for me aside from being a good set of hardcore songs. Moments are better than others, of course, but the fact that it's totally standard really calls for the songwriting to be as energetic as possible, and most of these tracks aren't really sticking with me per se. I like the fact that none of the songs are more that two-and-a-half minutes, so things keep on rollin' through, but it's not all that memorable for me. The recording's pretty good. I love the sound of the rhythm section, and the guitars are pretty full, but the vocals sound flat somehow. I'm not bothered by it per se, but were the vocals as full as the instruments the songs would be more powerful, I think. The layout looks great. Everything is in black and white with a mix of high contrast imagery, plenty of quality live shots, flyers, lyrics, etc. The lyrics are pretty typical, phrases like "holding on", "moving on", "pushed too far", and that sort of thing wouldn't be uncalled for in reference to the tracks, but I'm not bothered by anything. I mean, they're not rewriting the book, but they've done a decent job of what they're shooting for. This is pretty good for what it is, but I've heard better. Maybe I'm just a little burnt out on this style at the moment, I don't know. I definitely dig that they spice it up with a touch of slight melody, but the songs need more force somehow. (6/10)
Running time - 14:03, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Not a Phase, Move On]
Tuned to You Records - http://www.tunedtoyou.com

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