No thank you.? Terrible band name, terrible song titles, goofy wannabe heavy metal artwork, fashionable image, three guitar players even though you can't really tell at all, and they're another metalcore band to boot.? More specifically they're a christian metalcore band that sounds like every other god damn contemporary metalcore band that's out there right now: Snarling vocal screams, chunky breakdown riffs, lots of dual guitar harmonies and Swedish inspired death metal runs, discordant and frantic staccato riffing and whatnot, all that stuff.? Name a generic trait and it's probably present here.? Add to that the fact that they've employed one of the worst drum sounds ever produced and you've got yourself one steaming pile of dogshit that never should've been released.? Seriously, I hate to take it out on these guys, but there are a million bands of this nature that should never make it past the demo stage, and labels need to stop signing this crap and look for artists that have more to offer.? Especially christian labels, because it often seems like christian kids don't give a fuck as long as it praises big Jesus H., they're just not much of a discerning crowd.? I swear, it sounds like they used a drum machine, but I'm pretty certain they didn't since it's not tight enough to be mechanical, but the percussion sounds so wimpy and digital that I can't stomach it.? Everything else is too raw as well, tolerable, but too raw.? Fuck if I care though, because the songs stink and this record reeks of completely insincere and unoriginal horseshit.? Don't even get me started on the fake ass high-pitched "singing" squeals in "That Knife Ain't for Butter", either.? I felt bad going nuts on this release until that shit dropped, at which point I decided that I have just about zero mercy for this band.? If you can't sing, don't sing.? You're not Rob Halford, and trying to squeal like a pig without laughing isn't funny, nor does it add anything of value to your already insufferable songs.? The jokey "hip-hop" influences and animalistic vocal treatments in "Mic Skillz" prove that these kids must think that on some level they're amusing and that they don't take themselves very seriously, but it's still absolutely retarded and I cannot tolerate it any way.? "Somekind of Wonderful" and "Courting Mary" throw in some regular singing and emo-ish influences along with the chaotic and grinding metalcore too, so I have no clue what these dudes are going for.? The bottom line is that there are maybe three good riffs on this CD, all of the songs suck, and I hate it.? The layout uses a mix of comic book styled illustrations done up in a faux classic metal style while all of the band photos are in high contrast black and bright green and sort have a weird and forced Misfits kind of thing going on.? As rather lame sarcastic song titles like "Sawing My Head Off" and "OMG!" might suggest, the lyrics aren't that hot, actually mentioning generic imagery like "oceans of sorrow" and "I choke as I pluck petals from my marguerite".? Terrible.? Some of the songs have a christian slant as well, which is surprisingly tolerable here compared to most such bands, but still... not my thing.? Without the "humorous" aspects this would just be another generic and tired metalcore record with an ineffective recording and I'd probably give it a 4/10 or something.? Maybe a 5/10 if they caught me on a good day.? Instead they've proudly marched into the ranks as one of the worst metalcore bands I've ever heard and I have to say that the world would be a better place if they broke up tomorrow and never played music again - as a unit or individually.? The Hot Topic crowd wherever these guys are from (Do they have those stores in Canada?) probably worships 'em as if they were Motley Crue in 1989.? Ugh.? This record label is from the same city as me so I sincerely wish I could be more supportive, but this band is an abomination.? Sorry.
[Blood & Ink]
Running time - 33:00 (approximately), Tracks: 9
[Notable tracks: they're all horrible]
Blood & Ink Records - http://www.bloodandinkrecords.com
