Hmmm... this is a lot more abrasive than their full-length was. There's definitely a sizeable melodic thread going on, but they've shed most all of the old school hardcore influences in favor of the more chaotic and dissonant style of playing. The vocals are generally scathing screams for the duration of the 20-minute EP, but there's some singing as well. I think the singing helps break things up, and it sounds pretty damn good when they layer singing vocals with the screams. The singing needs a little bit of work though, as it's not quite up to speed all the time. "Breaking, One Beat at a Time" was on the full-length, and I'm not sure if this is a re-recording or not, as the sound differs from the preceding tracks. "On the Way to Tetnus" experiments with some programmed percussion at the start and then breaks into the most interesting piece on the CD. It's not only the most diverse track, but it's also unusual, and that stands out. Plus the diversity works in this case. They close with a cover of Journey's "Anyway You Want It" (which they title as simply "*Anyway*"). I'll give them credit for picking a cool song, but I fucking love Journey... and you can't cover Journey and do 'em justice, know what I mean? They do alright, though. But come on, you can't fuck with Steve Perry's vocals, man! The recording is slightly better this time out. The drums sound pretty solid, you can hear some bass, the guitars are clear, etc. I just think it needs more punch somewhere along the line. Maybe the bass needs to be even louder? I don't know... there seem to be a lot of midrange tones. Perhaps adding some crunch to those guitars would do the trick and that would be it? The CD comes with a onecard insert, so the back of the cover simply has the lyrics printed in bold black text on a white background. Simple enough. Visually things are definitely not as cool as the band's full-length was, but I guess it looks okay. It's consistent, though I can't say that nasty green color is doing anyone any favors. The song titles are sarcastic ("Give Me a Break and a Tall Glass of Texas Tea") but the lyrics have made some progress. They're a bit more mature than they were on the last record, and they handle their spiritual views with more tact. "How could I place my trust in a world that has so often let me down? We live our lives based upon the pointless pursuit of perfection, I'm giving up on giving respect to those who don't respect themselves. I've learned the hard way that there is no easy way to learn and it's impossible to satisfy everyone..." I like what they're doing here, but they still need work. They're definitely progressing, but this EP feels transitional. The writing is a bit disjointed and lacks cohesion because they go in a lot of directions in each song without a lot of fluidity. They still have it in 'em to do something great, but they're not there just yet.
[Thorp]
Running time - 20:03, Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: On the Way to Tetnus, *Anyway*]
Thorp Records - http://www.thorprecords.com
