Crestfallen "s/t" CD
[Robotic Empire]
Damn, here's some caustic, raging hardcore/punk with some grind influences as well as a dissonant Scandinavian side, somewhat akin to a more abrasive and frantic version of His Hero is Gone, complete with distorted screaming vocals and a bit more speed. Just check out the ferocious rhythms, scathing vocals, and subtle melody of "Rogue Rodeo" or the insane noisiness and melodic bass runs of "Early to Bed, Early to Rise Again". After a minute of silence they tack on two cover songs, "Minor Threat" by Minor Threat (obviously) and "Human Fly" by The Cramps. The covers aren't at all as heavy as their originals, and the approach is a bit more straightforward, but that's cool. The production is fine by me. It's somewhat raw, especially the biting high-end of the guitar tone and the vocals, but there's a lot of thickness and texture in there, which works with the more energetic songs like "Backlashed". The bass can get lost in some of the louder and more intense moments, but it all works itself out and sounds right for their style. The CD comes in a gatefold digipack type of sleeve that's slightly oversized with some great artwork dealing mostly with dark brown colors. Inside is an insert on matte paper that folds out to be like a mini poster with a huge display of the cover art on one side (awesome) and handwritten lyrics on the other. "Thought you would ride the wave into shore. Who whores more? They'll find your bones at the bottom of the sea where there is no retreat. (There's no retreat.) Woke up a sad sucker and thought it was a dream..." I had no idea that this was going to sound like it does. I wasn't expecting something in this vein at all, but they're doing a fine job of it. (7/10)
Running time - 14:14, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Backlashed, Rogue Rodeo, Sucker Punks Fuck Off]
Robotic Empire - http://www.roboticempire.com

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