I picked this CD up after seeing these guys open up for Integrity, because their brand of burly 90's styled metallic hardcore really hit the spot. It's pretty straightforward, but there aren't that many bands around that are still effectively playing this style, and I miss that. Expect plenty of chugga chugga breaks, some faster chord progressions that have a traditional hardcore influence, forceful drumming with tight fills and great emphasis on accentuating the tempo changes, and an extra dose of metal on occasion, all fronted by vicious screaming/shouting vocals. I love the thick metal rhythms and picking patterns at the tail end of "Fight", "American Flag Coffin" mixes it up between crunchy breakdowns and some vaguely melodic octave chords, and "Tell My Mom I Love Her" is a masterpiece of fucking totally bitter, pissed off mastery. I don't mind the recording at all. The guitars are nice and thick, the drums are pretty clear and have a good level of density, the vocals sound fine, and the bass is back there just a bit. Giving a little definition to the bass tone might be cool, but I'm not bothered by anything. There's room for improvement, but this isn't shabby in the least. Visually everything looks fine. It's nice and consistent with clean text, high contrast graphics, etc. I like the lyrics. They're really direct and at times the subject matter is nothing new, but they're honest, and it shows... and that's not all that common these days. "Dance with me, sing along. Empty words to an empty song. Written by some empty kids who live in a town where hope is gone. All I have is underneath this roof. It breaks my heart, but it's the truth. Welcome to Chicago, where all my nightmares came true." Good stuff. I really like this. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come, because I could see this band totally destroying everything in the future... Look into these cats if you're into this style, for sure.
[Thornz]
Running time - 19:08, Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: Seven Card Stud, Fight, Tell My Mom I Love Her]
Thornz Records - http://www.thornzrecords.com
