I believe this is the first recorded output from this Jersey band in about 10 years or so. The 11-track demo was recorded by none other than Dan Lilker in April of 2002 and still offers up some solid crossover hardcore that ranges from moderate tempos to blasting speeds with vocals that tend to stick in the lower midrange shouting/screaming zone. Some diversity even comes to the surface in tracks like "Swallow/Corporation" with some fast melodic patterns, and more so in the quick dissonant riffing of "Emily" (which is contrasted with some straightforward crossover perfection)... and of course there are some ripping and fairly chaotic lead breaks throughout the disc. Among the original material are two great covers: B.G.K.'s "Pray for Peace" and "Goin' to a Funeral" by Adrenalin O.D. The recording is pretty raw and definitely has an 80's sort of feel, but I like it. If someone told me this was an old demo from the 80's I'd probably fall for it. The guitars are rugged, the bass plays a good role, the vocals are dry and stay in with music, and the drums sound pretty good. Not bad at all, this is one of those sessions where the feel of the recording fits the style of the music very well. As if that weren't enough, there are a whopping 22 unlisted live tracks thrown on at the end of the disc, making an already lengthy demo (18:45) clock in at more than an hour! Of course the live tracks are quieter than the demo material, and the recordings are pretty rough, but I can listen to the stuff. It's not the best, but what the hell, they're bonus tracks. The CD-R comes in a jewel case with no traycard, just a one-sided booklet that was printed from a home computer (and actually looks fine despite some severe warping of the paper). There's a live shot of the band on the cover, and the back side shows an illustration of "that crazy robot" alongside a tracklist, contact information, etc. The craziest thing about the layout is that the guitarist on the front of the booklet is wearing a NOFX hat and a Dim Mak shirt. I must salute that diversity! I like this demo. It's not blowing my mind, but it does make me curious as to what the band will come out with next. I could do without the live tracks just because they don't really do much for me, but they're just sort of there if you want 'em, so... It's nice to see that after all these years their material is still solid.
[self-released]
Running time - 60:53, Tracks: 33
[Notable tracks: Got No Time, Emily, Change Your Ways]
Lethal Aggression - http://www.lethalaggression.net
