The Rites "s/t" CD
[Dead Alive]
Featuring members of Tear it Up, Down in Flames, and Cut the Shit, The Rites play rapid fire hardcore/punk with a totally raw edge and a little bit of a rock vibe that acts as somewhat of a contrast to the stellar vocals, which are just burly and in your fucking face yells. The first 10 tracks on the CD come from the band's "s/t" 12", then come the songs from their "Your Last Rites" 7", and then it's a live set recorded on a radio show at M.I.T. in Boston. The songs are fast and short, revolving mostly around power chords and the occasional rugged lead riff. There's no real variety at all aside from a spoken line here or there, some songs kicking out ripping speeds, etc. They seem to have found a niche that they want to stick to. I don't mind that. They're pretty good. I get a little bored of it after awhile, but I can get into it. The recording's alright, but I don't think it fits what they're doing too well. Well, I take that back, aside from the bass being on the quiet side, everything is fine except for the guitars. It's the guitar tone that feels off. It's just too light and ringing... the vocals are so forceful, and the writing backs the delivery fine, but the guitars don't pack enough of a punch to carry themselves. I don't mind the dirtiness, I just mind the lack of density or aggression coming from the guitars. The 7" has a thinner sound overall, with drums dominating the mix and the bass given more space, it sounds a bit more "even" as a whole because the vocals aren't as gruff, but the guitars are still missing something. The live recordings actually sound pretty good to me. The set's barely any "worse" than the studio tracks. I really like the layout on this one, mixing high contrast black and white artwork with some vibrant colors on the front cover, and some sketchy handwritten lyrics inside. Simple yet effective. The lyrics can be pretty damn hard to read, but the content is mostly pissed off and direct, there's nothing overly involved going on. Retaining the rawness but beefing up the sound so the guitars are a little heavier would let this band kick some serious ass... but even though this is decent, I can't see myself really spinning it all that much. (6/10)
Running time - 32:46, Tracks: 18
[Notable tracks: It Gets Worse, Dried Up, Your Last Rites, Tear You Apart, PC Gestapo]
Dead Alive Records - http://www.deadaliverecords.com

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