Here's some really diverse hardcore that's pretty evenly divided between melodic hardcore/punk, metal, and indie rock influences; so they toss around everything from rather basic chord progressions to oddly dissonant rhythms, slightly jarring and frantic playing, note-based metal riffs, and then some. The vocals are kind of a shouting/yelling thing with faint hints of singing, which plays into more of the indie rock kind of influence when held against some of the looser chord progressions and noisier playing. There's some potential here, but a few significant issues hold it back for me. First off, the recording isn't doing them justice. The rhythm section sounds pretty good, but the vocals feel too dominant and the guitars somehow lack emphasis - coming off as a little too plain and spacious. The guitars are hard panned, which makes interaction between different riffs much more apparent, but there's too much of a gap in the mix that needs to be sealed. Another issue I have is that the guitar playing isn't tight enough. They're not sloppy, and some of the riffs are intentionally noisy (which is fine), but the overall feel of the material needs to be as tight as possible to make sure the more complex riffs come across with the proper energy level. Beyond that my only complaint is that the songwriting is a little disjointed in its combination of styles. They write some very nice melodic riffs that are neither too metallic nor too indie inspired, and a lot of the dual guitar interaction is great, but somehow they too often wander all over the place within three to four minutes without maintaining a clear vision of how the riffs should piece together to maintain a cohesive flow. Personally I'm not into all the tapping/pull-off styled riffing at all, but these guys do blend most of that stuff in pretty well ("Bound By Myth" is the only track in which it's a major hindrance). "Maquiladoras" is the strongest song from a writing standpoint, as it maintains a good level of variety but also feels consistent in the way it plays out - building up and breaking down over time rather than jumping from one part to another. Also cool is the more rocked out and energetic "Inertia", which at times kind of has a Turning Point meets Endpoint thing going on (And there's nothing wrong with that combo!). The layout's 50/50, combining imagery collaged on cardboard with pieces of notebook paper containing handwritten lyrics, which has all been done before, and far better than it has been here, which is why they don't really pull it off. The lyrics blend the personal and political and are also 50/50, with the political commentary coming off as far more effective than the personal stuff. "We know the truth about trade, despite your deceit, how thieves fill their pockets while they starve in the streets..." This one grew on me with a few listens, but it still needs tightening up. I guess technically the vocal performance could stand to improve as well, but there's something somewhat endearing about the "weaknesses" of the leans towards singing on this one, so I think what exaggerates that are some of the holes in the recording. But a better recording and super tight performances could really harness some catchy force for these dudes, so... there's a lot to work with for this band.
[Crustacean]
Running time - 23:35, Tracks: 7
[Notable tracks: Maquiladoras, Inertia]
Things Fall Apart - http://www.thingsfallapartmusic.com
