Nine tracks of brutal metalcore that lean more towards the metal side of things, but in more of a 90's style, based around massively thick chord progressions and harsh vocal shouts. There's definitely some of the speed and simplicity of traditional hardcore involved, but the breakdowns are all ridiculously heavy and a little slower than average for added impact. "Family Portrait" is chock full of midpaced rhythms that just pound relentlessly, the breakdown at the end of "The Saw is Family" is fucking ridiculous (in a good way) and no doubt incited much bloodshed in its day, "The Optimist" is a little more energetic in its use of speed without neglecting any of the heaviness at all (as is the more pissed off "The Centolella Conspiracy"), etc. It's a damn consistent listen but I have no problems with that. Fuck it. 20 minutes of nonstop crushing metalcore. How can you lose? The recording is pretty damn good. The drums are nice and crisp, the guitars and bass fuse together to form a dense wall of mosh fury, and the vocals blend in with the music just fine. It wouldn't hurt if the bass had a little added definition or the drums were somewhat warmer, but fuck it... it sounds pretty slick. This is one of the better guitar tones I've heard in this ultra thick and borderline overproduced style, as it manages to retain some texture and doesn't cave in on itself. The layout looks killer and uses a strict color palette of high contrast red, black, and white with lots of layered imagery and dirty text effects. There's also some handwritten text overlapping the imagery in a gloss overlay coat that you can't really see unless the light hits it right, which is also a cool touch. The lyrics are entirely personal and tend to be direct as hell: "Suicide feels appropriate but I'm too afraid to die. Fuck this happy ending. Let's go back to reality. Where the good ones die and the band ones succeed. Misery has a new name and it wears my face. Tonight, we celebrate the end. Tonight, we celebrate a new beginning." Sadly the band is no more as their drummer passed away, but this succinct record definitely marks a solid effort for the band in their time together.
[Surprise Attack]
Running time - 20:29, Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: Family Portrait, The Saw is Family, The Centolella Conspiracy]
Surprise Attack Records - http://www.surpriseattackrecords.com
