I reviewed the US pressing of this EP last year, but revisiting the songs on this European addition I actually like it a bit more. It's total old school hardcore from this North Carolina straightedge band. It sounds pretty much like most of the stuff that was happening in the late-80's but it's a little bit cleaner and ever so slightly heavier (strictly from a recording standpoint - there's no metal here). Think short songs with simple chord progressions, yelled vocals, solo bass runs, hard breakdowns, gang backup vocals aplenty, etc. Original? Not by a longshot. But hey, it's good for what it is. I can definitely sense a Youth of Today-ish sort of thing going on both musically and vocally, but you can definitely catch that modern influence coming through with a little nuance of added melody. It's definitely anthemic stuff. In addition to the five new tracks that make up the "Open Hearts and Clear Minds" EP, the five songs from the band's "Demo 2001" are tacked on - including a cover of DYS' "More Than Fashion". The Livewire Records version also had a six-song live set from CBGB's tacked onto the end, but that's not on this one, which suits me fine because I wasn't really into the sound quality anyway. The production on the new tracks is damn good. Everything is loud and forceful without being super polished, and the mix is almost right on target. The vocals are a little bit out front, but it doesn't distract me. I think dropping the vocals back might make the basslines more prominent, and that would clear everything up. I don't know if they mastered this European version differently or not, but the demo doesn't sound as thin this time around either. It's definitely rawer and the vocals are a little too far out front, and portions sound a little thin, but I'm not as irritated by it as I was initially. The layout looks so 80's I can't believe it (basically the same as the Livewire edition but with slightly different coloring). Simple, bold collegiate lettering, few colors, lots of black and white photos of X'd up band members doing some very acrobatic stage maneuvers... that sort of thing. Lyrically things are okay. They cover the usual topics such as animal rights, speaking out against violence, change coming from within, keeping the hardcore scene alive, you know the drill. Some of the passages are a little bit cheesy, but they do seem genuinely sincere despite that. "Here we are again, we've been here before. Spending all our time trying to even the score. One more time, we'll be on top. But one more time means the violence never stops! It's time we all realized, that peace begins in our own lives. 'Cause there are no sides, there are no teams, we are all just people trying to live our dreams!" Not bad at all for this style. I do really dig the five new songs, and I can handle the demo as well... so I can stand behind this.
[Anger Management]
Running time - 17:19, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Something Inside, The Higher Taste, More Than Fashion]
Anger Management Records - http://www.am-records.com
