Here's a somewhat jokey straightedge band from Florida that features members of Evergreen Terrace. They play melodic metalcore with some faster chord progressions that have a melodic old school edge as well as some chunkier modern mosh rhythms. Most of the songs are short and to the point at less than two minutes each, and they tend to go for the throat without a whole lot of complexity involved. They do frequently layer melodic chords over heavier backing rhythms, but there are just as many breakdowns or straight up NYHC influenced riffs, so it's not rocket science. I actually wish they'd take themselves more seriously, because despite some humorous samples (John Lovitz's classic rant from "Happiness", some Cobra Kai action from "The Karate Kid", etc.) that don't necessarily fit the vibe of the songs, I really like the music a lot. And the lyrics, I mean, I don't mind a sense of humor or fun, but some of the lyrics in these songs are dumb as hell ("C.G.L. 2K3"). Thankfully you can't always understand what's being said though, so it's still a good listen. I mean, shit, tracks like "Pigs is Pigs" are way too good to be contrasted by humorous songs that really don't have much of a point. The recording suits me fine. It took me a few minutes to get used to because there are some slight weaknesses, but nothing that makes it hard to listen to by any means. I'd like to hear more bass in the mix and perhaps more smooth crunch to the guitar tone, but the vocals sound okay and the drums are also decent. Nothing sounds perfect, but nothing sounds terrible either, so they're alright. The layout is weird. I have no idea what it's supposed to represent or whatever, but the artwork consists of illustrations of redneck confederate soldiers complete with handlebar moustaches and X'd up hands raging forward in battle, and then there are some band photos, the lyrics, and so on. The lyrics are mostly pissed off and personal with a few tracks that are almost total nonsense, and the humor factor can be either amusing or really, really cheesy depending on how it's handled. Some of the lyrics are so literal it's annoying because it alienates the listener, but what can you do? Not bad. Pretty good actually. These cats could be fucking amazing if they made this band their main focus and used the humor with a bit more tact, because there are some sweet songs here.
[Indianola]
Running time - 21:54, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: Know This X, Strike Hard, Pigs is Pigs]
Indianola Records - http://www.indianolarecords.com
