I saw these guys live several months ago and I honestly thought they were pretty terrible, but listening to this record I don't feel that way at all. There are definitely things that I'm not wild about, but at the same time this is one of the most original hardcore records I've heard in a long time, especially since it definitely keeps its hardcore/punk influences very firmly intact. Take some straightforward old school styled hardcore, throw in a little bit of caustic Black Flag styled punk rock, add in some all out rock 'n' roll, dashes of melody here and there, and then bring in some really strange electronic effects... there you have it. Don't get freaked out by the mention of electronics, because it's not like there are silly keyboards and samples all over the place here - far from it, in fact. They just use obscure electronic noises and textures in the background, and fuck with the vocals and percussion sometimes. It's really weird. Sometimes it definitely gets on my nerves and feels a little disruptive, but it's cool... and they're really trying something new that you're not going to hear elsewhere. It's not a random afterthought, they're really manipulating these influences and integrating them into their songs. There are a lot of really weird riffs, too. I don't even know how to explain it. I like the way they overlap thick, open chords with strange note combinations, and hell, sometimes bits and pieces of this even have an Amphetamine Reptile tangent at work... it's definitely not common. Really the only thing that might be missing, for me, is some sort of vocal variation. I'm not personally into this style of frantic screaming, granted this guy handles it better than most, but making the vocals have some sort of variation would be probably be beneficial considering the diversity of the music. The production is fine by me. Everything is warm and natural, there's a good level of clarity, etc. I also think the mix is really effective because nothing gets drowned out, and nothing overpowers. I wouldn't change anything there. The entire layout is done in high contrast black, white, yellow, and pink, so it looks very consistent and definitely sort of catches the eye. The lyrics are fairly abstract in some ways, hinting at, but never directly revealing meaning. I think the actual approach to the lyrics is pretty refreshing in a lot of ways. "We'll lose more in battle than we will in war, It's just this fucking king that we're fighting for, Soldiers fight to win, laying ruin to the land, We have no power, We'll never be heard, You can't change words, That is all I have to say..." Good stuff. Maybe the reason I didn't like 'em live is because a lot of what they're doing here on this recording sounds like it would be hard to properly replicate live, but either way, they've made a good full-length out of it. This is definitely unique, and I'm looking forward to hearing this band progress from this point.
[Deathwish]
Running time - 27:09, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Commit It, Doors Are Harder to Slam in the Summer, The Dead Lay Very Still, Ruined]
Deathwish Inc. - http://www.deathwishinc.com
