Everyone probably knows by now that this is the band formerly known as American Nightmare and all that, so... This is the first time I've heard the band at all since the name change, and this is definitely some of their best work yet in my opinion. Their style is still rooted in straightforward hardcore with abrasive vocal screams and a slightly noisy edge, but overall the two new songs on this EP are tighter and more melodic, with some great dissonant notes and chords as well as your usual three chord old school hardcore stuff. I like it. The title track opens and is a little more involved, "The Hell We've Been Living In" follows with a more in your face delivery, and they close with a stunning cover of "You and Me" by Archers of Loaf. I'd never expect to hear an Archers of Loaf cover from a hardcore band for some reason but holy shit... their rendition is absolutely awesome - the best song on the disc, in fact. The recording isn't bad. The drums are tight enough to jump out a little much at times, and the bass gets lost, but the guitar and vocals sound just about perfect. Most of the rawness and grittiness this time around is coming from the recording rather than the performance, so the texture of the guitars and vocals is definitely important, and that shines through. Other than defining the bass a little more and toning down the sharpness of some of the percussion, this is fine as it is. The layout is great. The disc comes in a slim jewel case where the CD has clear edges so the on-disc printing overlaps some of the insert, which has several of photos cropped together with a high level of color saturation and handwritten text that conveys a certain bitter attitude, reading "This isn't fun anymore." The lyrics are similarly bitter, but definitely pretty open and heartfelt. "I'm still fucked to death, It's still meaningless it's still hit or miss, It's never making sense, It all went wrong in sympathetic song, Starting again, With broken hymns and limbs, I want star-bound feet, Far from the ground, This is the most intense thing you've felt, This is two hands, Ripping through your chest, To scrape the love from your heart." Absolutely get this if you enjoyed the band's previous work. They've been a very consistent act up until this point, and as far as quality that hasn't changed, but this EP definitely hints at some potentially awesome musical progressions that could come down the road.
[Reflections]
Running time - 7:21, Tracks: 3
[Notable tracks: all three are very good]
Reflections Records - http://www.reflectionsrecords.com
