Not bad, not bad. Straight up old school hardcore with a couple of vague hints at melody and a general approach that seems influenced by the late-80's youth crew sound, complete with basic power chords, solid midpaced breaks, yelling vocals with big gang backups, etc. "Live and Learn" is slower and the vocals almost hit on this sort of half-singing kind of thing for brief moments, but they pick up the pace and drive right into another classically formulated song structure - though admittedly the slightly varied vocal work does add a more memorable touch to this one. For the most part though, the other songs are generally by the books old school hardcore: Definitely well written and effective, but perhaps slightly one-sided, sans the nice break of bass and feedback before the big buildup at the end of "My All" with the quick outro of dissonant chords. The production ain't bad either. A little dry, but the mix is well balanced and I have no significant complaints. It would be nice for them to smooth things over just a touch and try to get the vocals to fall back in against the music a little more, but hey, fuck it, this sounds good. The record's pressed on white vinyl and comes in a blue and white sleeve with a xeroxed insert that all looks fine to me. As song titles like "Face Today" and "Live and Learn" (among others) should suggest, the lyrics are dealing with trying to make the most out of life and sticking it out through hard times and whatnot, as lines like, "This life I've lived has had its ups and downs, but I know when I'm feeling bad that I can turn that shit around," would suggest. Good stuff, and definitely one to watch for fans of tried and true old school hardcore who like things to remain free of metal or other outside influences. I don't think it would hurt for these guys to try to differentiate a few more of their songs from one another in the future, but they do what they do very well, and for that I commend them.
[Grave Mistake]
Running time - 10:00 (approximately), Tracks: 5
[Notable tracks: Live and Learn, My All]
Grave Mistake Records - http://www.gravemistakerecords.com
