Despite having heard a whole lot about this band, this is the first time I've ever heard 'em. I gotta say, I'm not sure what all the hype's about. This is okay, but it's not blowing me away by any means. It's basically melodic hardcore with a heavy edge. It's not really "old school", nor is it what I would call "metalcore", though elements of the two do of course present themselves. I have a feeling I'd like it better if the production was better. The recording hurts this material more than anything, which is surprising since most everything on this label sounds like a million bucks. But the vocals are a little far out front, and the drums, while crisp, snap out too much. The only thing I like is the bass tone, which is perfect, but the guitar tone sucks. It's thin and ragged, with no crunch and therefore no power. What good is clarity when your guitar tone is paper-thin, you know? There are a million guest vocal spots on this thing, among them Ian Larrabee (Reach the Sky), Geoff Rickly (Thursday), Rob Vitale (Nine Lives/Black Train Jack), and Jason Shevchuk (None More Black/Kid Dynamite). I love the more energetic and memorable tracks like "Miles Apart" and "Ignition", if everything on this disc sounded similar to those two I could see what some of the fuss was about. The last track is the band's cover of "Express Yourself" from the "Too Legit for the Pit" compilation, which really isn't that great, and I don't think it makes sense to be included here. Whatever. By Solid State standards the layout's not so great, but by normal standards it's fine. The colors and typefaces are consistent, the imagery's not bad, etc. I hate the font they used for the lyrics and stuff, but what can you do? The lyrics are basically personal, at times touching on topics that are geared towards the hardcore scene as a whole, but generally sticking to individual issues. "Seeing changes in myself that I just can't believe. Experiencing life with my heart on my sleeve. Open to this brand new world I turn my soul inside out. Complete exposure. Erasing any sense of doubt..." Also included is CD-Rom footage with some 2002 summer tour clips that consist of behind the scenes "action" and live shots with studio audio. It's only about 13 minutes, and while not bad, I'd always prefer to see more random bits than a lot of live footage with studio audio behind it. This is an okay record, but nothing that really grabs me or anything like that. I really think the recording is what's turning me away. The sound just doesn't fit.
[Solid State]
Running time - 33:19, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Miles Apart, The Calling, Ignition]
Solid State Records - http://www.solidstaterecords.com
