Nora "Dreamers & Deadmen" CD
[Trustkill]
More solid rhythmic, metallic hardcore from Nora, mixing it up with discordant and somewhat technical/chaotic runs and a dash of melody here and there. This doesn't hit me as hard as their last record on several levels, but it's still damn good. Some of the songs that are shorter and more caustic are more derivative than I'd care for, but there are still some gems. "I Should Have Sent Flowers" is a bit more melodic and involved, the structure flows very nicely and makes for one of the most memorable tracks on the disc; while "Last One for the Money" is tight and heavy, complete with fucked up guitar harmonies and pinch harmonics. And what about the totally southern fried sludge happening for a brief segment towards the tail end of "Scars Are Supposed to Last Forever"!? As usual with these guys the recording is fucking sweet. The percussion is totally thick and natural with lots of resonance, and the same goes for the bass, which has great placement in the mix. Chunky guitars that are really heavy with lots of texture, yet totally clear, drive most of the material, and the vocals sound awesome, granted I'd probably mix them back in with the music a bit more. Good stuff overall. The layout looks pretty good, even if it does have what's becoming the typical and immediately recognizable Jacob Bannon look to it, but the textures and such are still great. The only thing I hate is the decorative sort of font they've used for the song titles throughout the packaging, because it's almost impossible to read without killing your eyes. Underneath the CD tray is a little message about the record and music and what they mean to the band, but the lyrics pale in comparison to their last album. I'm not interested in the lyrics here at all really, they're just a mixed bag of both the hopeful and the hopeless. From "I'm so glad I woke up this morning, Because I can't wait to see what happens next..." to "What's behind the barrel I'm holding to your head? I've got whatever it takes and you came up wanting, get up, This is a love song, it's a sing along, I wrote it just for you, How long is your list? Mine's about to get shorter." This is a really good record, but I can't say I find it to be as powerful musically or lyrically as their last record was. They're still far superior to most other bands of this nature that are out there, but the overwhelming impact's not there for me this time. (7/10)
Running time - 30:41, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: I Should Have Sent Flowers, Two and a Shot of Jack, Last One for the Money]
Trustkill Records - http://www.trustkill.com

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