Here's a CD pressing of this European hardcore band's painfully brief demo: Five tracks in seven minutes! It's basically straightforward hardcore in the old school vein with no real frills. It's good for what it is, though. Generic? Yeah, it sort of is, but they've got the energy and they write good, quick, forceful songs. I like it. There's not a ton of variety, but they never get too fast, there's no metal, and none of the songs are bad. "Why Can't it Last" is a little slower and the vocals almost lean towards slight singing throughout, whereas songs like "Five Minute Wonder" are a little faster musically and vocally. The songs actually get pretty catchy too, despite the fact that there's not really anything I would classify as openly melodic at all. The breakdowns are all handled pretty classically as well, with pounding bass, rolling percussion, etc. Also expect the obligatory gang backup vocals galore, of course. The recording is fine for a demo. There's a little added ruggedness hovering around, but it's thick without being muddy, and I'm not really bothered by anything. I can listen to it without a problem. For seven minutes of music I'm not complaining. The layout is simple as hell, based totally around high contrast white and blue designs created with dirty text arrangements, with the lyrics inside. Nothing special, but it looks fine to me. The lyrics are pretty typical hardcore lyrics dealing with the struggles of life and whatnot, so it's pretty basic and to the point. I don't know what else to say. This thing's short as hell!
[Anger Management]
Running time - 7:05, Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: Five Minute Wonder, Effort]
Anger Management Records - http://www.am-records.com
