Sweet fuckin' hell... this is so good... I loved their last record, but this fucker sounds like a million bucks by comparison. The recording is massive as shit! The guitars are huge and perfectly distorted with tons of density and a smooth tone that still doesn't lack texture, the bass plays a large role right in the center, the drums are rigid but well handled, and the vocals sound pissed! I might like to hear the drums get a little thicker, because at times it sort of feels like the drums and vocals are subtly leaning towards the front of the mix, but fuck it. As far as the music, this is still vicious metallic hardcore with a large dose of melody, but everything feels more powerful and immediate. The writing is stronger and more focused (though still very diverse), there's a lot of energy... this is just a great record. This also marks the recorded debut of new vocalist Rob Fusco (formerly of One King Down) with the band, and I think his style fits their music perfectly, effortlessly jumping from ripping screams to shouting, and even some tasteful singing on rare occasion. "Growing Square Eyes" is made up of straightforward chord progressions and thrashy speed with some slower early Cro-Mags sounding breaks; "Your Picture Hung Itself" is fucking totally explosive, around two-and-a-half minutes of perfect speed and slower melodic areas that definitely leave a mark, etc. "Funeral Photography" is far slower and more destructive, rockin' a sludgy sort of vibe that definitely comes as a surprise... and what's up with the bluesy riffs in parts of "Closure"!? Who would've thought? The more frantic and discordant "It Runs in the Blood" even features additional vocals by Lou Koller from Sick of it All, so... this one's a keeper. Not unlike their first record there are tons of extras at the end of the disc where the band's recording themselves talking about random shit while on tour (plus dropping a handful of quick gore grind tracks) and it's pure comedic brilliance. I can't think of one other band that can pull this stuff off and make it actually enjoyable to listen to, but god damn... these cats are fuckin' hilarious. And there's almost fucking 45 minutes of this stuff tacked on! Golden. As for the layout, that's awesome too. Everything's printed on partially matte paper (it's not glossy, but there's a little bit of a finish to it), the cover photo is great, the aesthetics are consistent, etc. Several tiny band photos are strewn throughout the booklet along with lyrics and other such information. The lyrics are personal and leave enough of an open end to not have blatantly specific "meanings" per se: "The most wretched of flypaper thoughts race across the mind as they moan like a whore. Their only love is to linger and sting and swell by feeding on the hurt they bring. You won't live through this." Awesome. If you liked their last record you'd have to be a fool not to dig this. I'm all for it. Two thumbs up. Get this, fuckers.
[Trustkill]
Running time - 26:55 (plus the extras), Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Quiet Pattern, Your Picture Hung Itself, Funeral Photography, So Typical My Heart]
Trustkill Records - http://www.trustkill.com
