Here's a brief demo of solid melodic hardcore from New Jersey that kind of sounds like Turning Point meets Falling Forward or something like that.? There's enough of a speedy old school hardcore energy in place, but there's also a lot of melodic and sort of rocked out riffing as well, with unique vocals that are right on the line between singing and shouting with a higher-pitched kind of ring.? Hell, "It's Not Me" even throws in some vocal harmonies and more involved picking patterns alongside quick harmonic riffs and everything.? "Honesty is Honesty" is more immediately energetic and memorable than the other tracks, and I love that approach, the melodies are a little dissonant and the basslines pop in and out to add character to the song as a whole, etc.? Nice fast paced picking patterns towards the end, too.? The only thing holding ?em back in my opinion is the recording, which is too muddy and unbalanced.? The vocals are really clear and sound pretty good, but the guitar tone lacks definition and really muddies up everything else.? It's odd, because the bass tone is nice and pronounced as well, and the drums are crisp (I don't care for the drum sound though, it's not natural at all), but the guitars lack force and aren't at all clear, so it gets messy and sounds really strange in the end.? The playing could use some tightening up as well, but that would be less an issue if the recording were in place.? The CD-R comes in a slim jewel case with a xeroxed insert that has all of the lyrics on the back.? Simple enough, and it gets the job done.? The lyrics are personal and significantly less generic than usual, but they're a little wordy and can get awkward: "Don't even attempt to decode this pale palette of selective anxiety, just ask me about disappointment and relate..."? I don't know, not bad, but maybe somewhat forced in delivery there?? But I'd really like to hear more from this band because there's a lot of creative riffing going on and the influences they seem to be drawing from are all bands that I really dig, so I think there's a lot of potential here, but the recording quality needs to improve to properly represent their writing skills.? "Honesty is Honesty" is an excellent song, though. I think these guys will win me over big time if they can iron out the kinks. Keep an eye out.
[self-released]
Running time - 9:33, Tracks: 4
[Notable tracks: It's Not Me, Honesty is Honesty]
Endgame - http://www.endgamemusic.net
