Here's another fucking great hardcore band coming out of Richmond, Virginia. The songs are short as shit and blow right through without fucking around. There's a great balance of old school hardcore with added heaviness and a slight bit of melody on rare occasion. The momentum remains really solid throughout, and I really like the burly texture of the straight shouting vocals. "Burnt Bridges" has some nice vocal tradeoffs and the brief dissonant notes in "Clean Slate" are great, both offering just enough variety to keep things moving. The recording is awesome, too. It's totally full and forceful with a slightly raw edge and great clarity. They've got nice drum tones, a great vocal presence, etc. I'd maybe kick the bass up a few notches, but that's it. The cassette comes with a simple layout that uses a color xerox for the cover in two shades of red and then has a black and white insert for the lyrics, which are rather bitter: "Never forgive, never forget. I wish I had the eyes to see so that I'd remember your face. You took a stab at a heart of gold and got nothing to show for it. Fuck your rep, you're a coward in hiding. We'll see you soon and we'll be deciding your fate." Damn, I can't wait to hear more from these guys. The demo's short as shit. I wish there were about five more tracks on this thing. Great stuff. And it's awesome that this is a true demo on cassette format, as that's so rare these days. Rock.
[self-released]
Running time - 6:00 (approximately), Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: Burnt Bridges, Clean Slate]
Murder Weapon - [email protected]
