Hmmm, not bad, but not really my thing. Ignoring the fact that the recording is too thin and flat, this is really melodic old school styled hardcore/punk with some more contemporary flirtations (and a little emo). And that's fine, musically I actually really like this. What I'm not into at all are the almost sarcastically screamed/cackled vocals, which sound too immature and out of place against this music, especially considering the fact that the band's message is so serious. Now, the vocals aren't trying to sound lighthearted at all, but that irritating cackle just rubs me the wrong way - it would be far more at home in an east bay punk band or something. Sometimes there are brief spurts of singing or more straightforward yells, but sadly it's the high scream that takes most of the lead role. I can get used to it after awhile because the songs are all pretty short and high energy, so things keep moving along nicely and the music is often memorable enough to where I can live with the vocals, but there's a lot more potential here than what's being demonstrated in my opinion. Some of the riffs in "Good Morning Vietnam" are reminiscent of Dag Nasty, and I fucking love that; "The End and the Myth" has more of an emo thing going on and is also a bit longer and more developed dynamically; etc. As mentioned the sound isn't forceful enough to do them justice. It's clear, which is awesome, but it needs something more. The bass tone is pretty dead on, nice and defined and playing a good role, and really the guitars are alright too, but something about the mix leaves a lot of space in between everything, so it's not thick enough. It still needs some sort of dense low-end punch - especially the percussion. They're close to the mark, though. The CD-R comes in a small black sleeve with a sticker on the front cover, and inside is a two-sided lyric insert xeroxed on pink paper. I'm annoyed that there's no tracklist because it looks like there are more songs on the CD than there are sets of lyrics, and I can't tell which song is which since after the first few the order isn't really right anymore. The lyrics are sincere and deal with both some political topics as well as issues more directly relating to the scene such as the mainstream thread entering hardcore/punk, toughguy dancing at shows, etc. Honestly I admire the emotion in the lyrics, but it's all just a little too sappy and "holding hands" for me to really identify with. "Our frustration is not a disease, It's just medicine inside ourselves that lets us know we have to make a change, Our dissent is fucking vital art, These words are helping me breathe..." Maybe all it would take for me to like this would be a slightly better recording that puts less emphasis on the vocals? I don't know. I do know that I love some of the music, and there are a few killer songs here, but I really think the band would be way better without that obnoxious screaming stuff all over the place.
[Burnitdown/Rebuild]
Running time - 24:25, Tracks: 13
[Notable tracks: Good Morning Vietnam, The End and the Myth]
Burnitdown/Rebuild - http://www.burnitdownrebuild.com
