Endrophobia "s/t" 7"
[No Options/Sound Device]
Damn, this is one fucking killer EP. This band has in its ranks members of Lost World, Phalanx, and Severed Head of State, and play dark hardcore punk with a good mix of tempos, great melodic sensibilities, and raspy female vocal snarls that occasional lean towards gritty singing. "We Don't Need You" is slightly more straightforward, but "A Reason to Go On" opens with some clean arpeggios and slow distorted chords with a little feedback before plowing into a fast chord progression with raging vocals, eventually giving way to some melodies and singing. The lyrics in "Campo di Prigionieri - 'La Germanica'" are in Italian and make for some awesome vocal patterns that blend nicely with the energy of the music, and "No Chance" uses another clean intro, this time thicker and more somber, but the song is a bit more up-tempo and almost catchy in a sense. This is definitely diverse and original material, I didn't know what to expect, but I'm loving it. The recording's fine, my only complaint is that it's too thin and lacks power as a result. The bass tone is there. But the drums are flat and the guitars are really thin. If the guitars were heavier and the drums more resonant, the vocals would cut through perfectly and the music would really hit you in the face like a ton of bricks. The basslines tend to be pretty damn good, so adding more of a low-end presence to the bass would probably be awesome as well. The packaging kicks ass. The 7" comes in a black, white, and red sleeve (two-sided) where most of the cover is all in red, and there's a black strip that folds around the sleeve - repeating the artwork underneath it in black rather than red. Slick. Inside is a band photo with the lyrics, but the artwork and the logo... everything just looks incredible. The lyrics are a mix of personal ordeals and commentary on standard issues such as harassment from the cops or "punks" who really act more like jocks, it's all pretty much to the point. "Some never seem to lose their power, They haven't lost their ideals, It's the heart of a dying body, That believes there's a reason to go on." Fuck, this is so good... I can't wait to hear more from this band, so they better get crackin'. (9/10)
Running time - 12:00 (approximately), Tracks: 4
[Notable tracks: all four songs are fucking great]
There's no contact information anywhere but I bought this from Hardcore Holocaust and so should you.

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