Final Word "Fools Like You" CD
[Indecision]
Hell yeah, here's some vicious hardcore from Canada played in the NYHC style, with just a touch more metal as far as the heaviness of the rhythms and some of the picking patterns. The vocals are straight shouts with a gruff texture and some killer backups, and most of the songs are moderately paced with plenty of breakdowns and tasteful groove. I can hear a hell of a lot of Madball in there from time to time, but that doesn't bother me in the least because these guys are doin' it right. There's a quick lead break in "Something to Prove", but it really doesn't add anything, and almost takes away from an otherwise perfectly succinct track. "On My Own" has an edge of Hatebreed to it, but with less metal, and it actually ends up standing out as a favorite for me. The recording's okay, but it does sound a little bit stale. The bass tone has a lot of space to breathe, the guitar tone is decent, etc. But the drums sound sort of flimsy, and as a whole the mix feels too thin and sort of spacious. I'd like to hear more warmth and a tighter core without so many gaps going on. It sounds pretty good, but it needs an extra kick somewhere along the line. The layout's pretty wild on this thing just because it's really brightly colored and the cover art is all illustrated (down to the lettering for the EP's title), which you rarely see these days. The lyrics and some photos are inside, and that pretty much handles it. The lyrics are pissed and to the point, sticking with the whole fighting your way through hard times and not giving a shit what anyone else things type of thing. Good stuff. I must confess that as soon as I saw the band name I was hoping it was borrowed from the almighty Meanstreak song of the same name and that there would be an unlisted cover of "Final Word" on here, but no such luck. Oh well, it's still fucking tight. A little more variety wouldn't hurt, but I damn sure look forward to hearing more. Oh, but if they did take the name from the Meanstreak song, they better fucking cover that shit at some point. Come on! (7/10)
Running time - 12:47, Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: Something to Prove, On My Own]
Indecision Records - http://www.indecisionrecords.com

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