Review: The Gromos - Booty

artist: the gromos album: booty label: ash from sweat records released: by: eduardo moutinho I remember the first time that I watched The Gromos play… It was a few years ago, at a Golden High School battle of the bands, while I was still just starting to get into the underground music scene. I remember an energetic bunch of guys, playing somewhat unoriginal, yet well-executed pop punk. To be quite honest, I wasn’t too fond of the music, since I was still mostly about nu-metal, yet I respected their spot-on musicianship and apparent enjoyment of playing music. I didn’t quite understand what they were about. Fast forward to today, The Gromos are no more, rather, they are The Green Fuse now, a band with a totally revamped sound and an incredibly bright future ahead of them. Yet, The Gromos legacy of enthusiastic pop punk remains in most of our memories, and in this case, a nostalgic CD entitled Booty. In essence, Booty is an audio memoir of the band, containing all their popular tracks, enclosed in handsome packaging. Of course, the packaging is an Ash From Sweat staple. The CD, along with acknowledgments and a delightfully crafted treasure map (with clever crinkling and fading) are contained within a brown paper wrapper stamped with a stenciled logo and accented with twine strewn across the bottom. The music itself is just as I described earlier, energetic pop punk. There’s nothing really complicated here, just a group of high school kids living out their adolescence. This brings me back to another thing I said earlier, when I saw them at that battle of the bands, I wasn’t too keen on their sound. That alone was the big mistake that I made when analyzing The Gromos. They really didn’t care about how original their music was; they cared about having fun and screwing around. Hell, one of their most popular (if not, most popular) songs is called “Cut that Mullet.” Not to say that The Gromos are a joke band, or a band that goes on stage to goof off and play a random string of noises; these guys played their music well. I’m not the biggest pop punk fun, then and now, but if I had to listen to some, I wouldn’t mind listening to this. The musicianship is solid, and the energy from the live show manages to come through. This is fun music, and that is exactly what it was meant to be. On top of energetic punk tracks such as “Fair Trade,” the aforementioned “Cut that Mullet,” and “Force Fed” (which includes standard “whoahoaohoas”) are slower ballads that add a hint of variety and poignancy to the record. These songs include the epic six-minute opener “The Last Time You Cried,” another very popular Gromos song. For those who love this kind of music, they’ll be quite pleased with this CD. I’ll always remember The Gromos for many reasons. They were around when I started to get into all this, and I even managed to play a show with them with my first real band, a sad hardcore outfit named Rift. I’m glad to see that they’re still around as The Green Fuse, and I look forward to watching their evolution continue. But for those who want to travel back a year or two for 20 minutes, go over to the Ash From Sweat site and see if you can pry one of the few remaining copies of Booty away from them. favorite song: "the last time you cried" rating: 80%/100%

Review: Giant Eyeball/ItsyBtsySpydr Split

artist: giant eyeball / ItsyBtsySpydr album: split (ep) label: ash from sweat records released: by: eduardo moutinho The world of noise music is becoming more and more popular nowadays, especially within our localized Colorado scene. Maybe it’s the experimental nature of the music, or maybe it's the artistic element that’s involved which interests people. Nevertheless, noise music is here to stay for the meantime, if you like it or not. Hot off the heels of their EP release, Giant Eyeball is back by means of a split with another noise project, ItsyBtsySpydr. This new release is as eccentric as ever, and I guess it would be best for me to review it as two separate parts. Firstly, the packaging is quite simplistic. The slim CD jewel case is adorned with an interesting picture depicting the band names, and inside, there are two inserts with song titles and acknowledgments from each band. The CD itself was decorated with a few elementary school sticker stars. Anyway, onto the music. The first six tracks on the offering are all Giant Eyeball. The music seems to have gone through an (expected) evolution. The tempos are more varied and I think the new tracks would appeal to a broader audience. Some songs came out of the blue, such as the dark and subdued “go take a piss, right now.” The song itself utilizes a twangy guitar, playing notes that don’t necessarily go together, yet at some points the song almost resembles some kind of twisted ballad. I’m not positive, but I think the group managed to use an even wider menagerie of instruments when making the new songs. Instruments used include guitars, bongo drums, maracas, a celing fan, a bottle of Jack Daniels, cymbals, and their voices. Nevertheless, I find the new songs to be more enjoyable. ItsyBtsySpydr takes over after track seven and finishes off the record. The music exhibited by this young man (ItsyBtsySpydr is a one-person entity) is even more on the eccentric and unusual side. The songs are very synthetic and are harder to follow. There are a variety of pauses in each track, and there are a lot of random sections in each song. Overall, I didn’t seem to enjoy the music during this section of the split. I guess this is a case of the music being a little too abstract for my taste. Plus, the tempo was slower throughout most of the songs, and the sounds were less emphatic. I guess you can “chill” to this a little more than you can with most music. For me, that’s not the kind of music I enjoy listening to. Nevertheless, it’s an interesting set of tracks worth listening to at least a couple of times. This split is a release for the more liberal kind of listener. For those who don’t enjoy or are unwilling to listen to unorthodox music, don’t even come close to this. For everyone else, this is a really good release to wrap your brain around. favorite song: “quick, think of something funny” rating: 75%/100%

Review: Evergreen Terrace - Burned Alive by Time

artist: evergreen terrace album: burned alive by time label: eulogy recordings released: by: rob tatum Burned Alive by Time is the second full length album from Florida’s Evergreen Terrace. This is their first full length release on Eulogy. The first thing I noticed when I listened to this album is that the production quality is better than their previous releases… although I have still heard some complaints about it… I think it’s fine. It follows typical hardcore fashion, ten songs, clocking in around a half an hour. The CD starts with an intense, thundering barrage of hardcore, but tails into melody and great musicianship. All staples of the Evergreen Terrace sound. The band embraces the power of a hardcore band but with the ability to create amazing melody, each song pulls you in and you just want to sing along. Musically, the band is loaded with talent. The breakdowns have a lot of energy and the melodies have a ton of heart. The only complaint I have with this band is that they are Christian. This is ordinarily not a big deal to me, especially when they don’t flaunt it, but some of the songs on this record have lyrics that don’t apply to everyone. That really bothers me. “When you're gone no one will miss you and when you're dead no one will cry. Kiss your life goodbye. You believe in nothing.” On those words alone, this album drops from one of the best albums I have heard, to one of the best musically, but sub-par lyrically. I still enjoy this album immensely, as not every song is like that. The best part of this album is the Depeche Mode cover at the end of the last song. favorite song: "heavy number one (aka: shizzle my nizzle)" rating: 88%/100% listen to evergreen terrace

Review: Boys Night Out - Broken Bones and Bloody Kisses

artist: boys night out album: broken bones and bloody kisses label: one day savior records released: by: rob tatum First off this is an EP, so it’s only six songs in length. For once, I have a lot of meaningful comparisons for this band. For anyone who liked older Keepsake (prior to Fearless Records), then Boys Night Out is the band for you. Combining hardcore, similar to Remembering Never, with poppy, catchy punk, Broken Bones and Bloody Kisses is a perfect example of how to combine to genres into one. The lyrics are once again similar to Remembering Never, “The first time I saw a body bend that way I realized that we’re more beautiful dead than alive.” The only thing that is hard to get used to is that the lyrics are sang in a catchy manner as opposed to the hardcore screams usually attached to words of that manner. I hope that this band isn’t trying to take advantage of a trend because they are a good listen, but I don’t know how long before it gets boring. The music isn’t overly complex, and is kind of boring in the poppy parts. Simple drum beats and somewhat basic guitar work, but good sound. Fans of intense musicianship, this is not for you. For fans of catchy, decently-arranged music; check this out if you get the chance. favorite song: "the only honest love song" rating: 83%/100% listen to boys night out

Review: Giant Eyeball - For Motion Sickness and Refuse

artist: giant eyeball album: for motion sickness and refuse label: ash from sweat records released: by: eduardo moutinho Giant Eyeball… Imagine two marijuana connoisseurs coming together, while on a mad high, to make music with a bunch of random instruments/objects. That summarizes Giant Eyeball: music for the high, made by the high. Therefore, that is my quandary. I don’t get high, and I don’t plan on getting high any time soon. So as I approach For Motion Sickness and Refuse, I’m already at a disadvantage. But, I’ll give it my best shot to give a fair and honest evaluation of this cassette tape demo. Alright then, as with any Ash From Sweat Records release that I will review, the packaging must be taken into consideration. For this release, the packaging is even more intriguing than normal. To begin, the cassette and inserts are contained within a genuine airline vomit bag. Dan Phelps, one half of Giant Eyeball, actually went to Denver International Airport to collect the bags. Now that’s dedication. Anyway, the inserts for this release are quite detailed and fascinating. Imagine a couple of transparency sheets stapled together to make a booklet. Now imagine two ornate drawings depicting a giant eyeball staring at a man and wrapping itself around the earth printed on the transparencies along with a track listing and acknowledgments. Very interesting stuff indeed, and a perfect compliment to the equally interesting music. The music itself can be categorized into the broad genre known as “noise.” Giant Eyeball itself is a noise project formed by Dan Phelps of both Humble Ary and (the) kindercide and Ben (last name eludes me) of Rivers Run Dry. For Motion Sickness and Refuse is five songs with very little vocals and all meticulously crafted sounds. Each song has its own personality, and they flow into each other quite flawlessly. Even I managed to get into a faint trance while listening to this tape. It’s interesting to hear the drum machines, synthesized sounds, guitar, and other instruments (at one point, a bass was used as a microphone) used to achieve Giant Eyeball’s sound. You hear all sorts of sounds, including claps, honking horns, dishes breaking, and computerized voices. At one point, I felt that I was listening to psychedelic Middle-Eastern music. It’s all over the place. As far out as this stuff is, it seems to have direction and purpose. I’m not even going to get into the specifics of each song as I can’t even really do that as I look at this release as more of a whole than something made up of separate pieces. It’s seriously hard not to get into a trance when listening to this. Everyone who lends their ear to Giant Eyeball will walk away with their own opinion. In the end, I honestly can’t say that I will go back to this release. I may if I want to show somebody some really unusual stuff, but in the end, this is definitely not my cup of tea. If I was giving a score based on uniqueness and originality alone, For Motion Sickness and Refuse would score highly. But the rating issued involves many other factors as well. It’s not a case of me not liking the music; it’s just that I need to listen to something a little more structured. It’s really hard to explain, just like Giant Eyeball’s music. favorite song: "tongue on the floor next to her underwear" rating: 70%/100%

Review: The Killing Tree - The Romance of Helen Trent

artist: the killing tree album: the romance of helen trent label: one day savior records released: 6/25/02 by: rob tatum This was one of the most difficult CD’s to find I have ever run across. Maybe I was looking in the wrong place, but I finally tracked it down about two days ago. The Romance of Helen Trent is the first full length from the band. The first thing I noticed about the album is that it is only nine tracks long… however; it is nearly an hour in length. Six minutes per song is something rarely seen in music lately. The Killing Tree are best described as straight-forward hardcore with melody and singing. And when I say singing, I don’t mean in the background. Their vocalist actually sings a lot of the time, not just the typical hardcore yelling or screaming, he sings. This is the most enticing thing about the band. By no means is the music groundbreaking or extremely technical, but it’s apparent that’s not what the band wants to do with their music. The band really reminds me of some older east coast bands such as Ensign, Shutdown, etc. but with a touch of melody and some singing. The album flows extremely well. The lyrics are emotional and intuitive. Each song is fast paced, but with each one being around six minutes, the structure of each song is intricate but it doesn’t lose the listener in chaos or boredom. If I had to describe this album in one word, it would be enjoyable. I have heard many bands with more talent and many albums that bring more to the table. This album stands out amongst the crowd with a little uniqueness inside a genre that can get overcrowded at times. The instrumental in the middle of the album really adds to the effect. Every time I listen to the album, the more I like it. The Killing Tree knows what they are good at, stick to it, and make this album worth every penny. favorite song: "them’s fightin’ words" (the most melodic song on the record) rating: 85%/100% (it’s not perfect, but it’s a really cool album) Unfortunately they don’t have an mp3.com site, so you’ll have to order this CD from their record label or track me down and ask to borrow it…

Spotlight: A Static Lullaby

bst spotlight band. A Static Lullaby hails from Orange County, CA. Unlike the majority of the bands coming from that scene, they play melodic, heartfelt hardcore. The sound is similar to Grade, but with aspects of everything from Thursday to Poison the Well. In September of 2002, the band was signed to the east coast hardcore label Ferret Records. The band will be releasing their first full length album, …And Don’t Forget to Breathe, in late January of 2003. Their only previous release, an EP, Withered, contains energetic and creative music that separates the band from most bands in hardcore today. The band has been selected to tour with From Autumn to Ashes, Unearth, and The Hope Conspiracy this winter. a static lullaby official website listen to a static lullaby

Review: Avail - Front Porch Stories

artist: avail album: front porch stories label: fat wreck chords released: 11/5/02 by: rob tatum I know you are thinking, Avail? Fat Wreck Chords? Punk? Yep. Avail is one of the most energetic and fun bands I have ever seen live and that energy tends to carry over to their releases. A lot of people felt that Avail might change when they left Lookout! Records for Fat Wreck two years ago, but I can assure that they haven’t lost sight of what they are good at. Combining elements of just about everything, Avail has a unique sound that is usually referred to as punk, but there are aspects of hardcore, and the occasional melodies stray away from punk or hardcore. Vocalist Tim Barry pounds out each of the twelve songs on this record with heart and passion. Musically the record stays right where one would expect it based on Avail’s previous five full lengths. Driving guitars, fast beats, occasional solos and heavy parts, but typical, “get the crowd moving” rock. My biggest complaint about this album, as with most releases lately, is that it clocks in around half an hour. Averaging less than three minutes a song, I wish that there were more than twelve tracks. The fifth track Gravel to Dirt shows the melodic side of Avail as it is both slower and mellower than the other tracks on the CD. The best song is Subdued and Arrested which speaks about standing up for what you believe. Barry’s lyrics continue to be motivational and with good intentions. Overall, the album is nothing special. I love Avail and don’t get me wrong, this album will be in my regular rotation for quite some time, but it’s not an album that everyone should get. If you like Avail, melodic punk, or you need have never heard of them before, check this out. If none of those apply to you, then you won’t be missing anything. favorite song: subdued and arrested rating: 74%/100% listen to avail

Review: Eighteen Visions - Vanity

artist:eighteen visions album: vanity label:trustkill records released: 5/14/02 by: rob tatum For those of you who have heard Until the Ink Runs Out, you know that Eighteen Visions is known for their “in your face” metalcore. Nothing really separated them from any other band in their genre or any band from the Orange County scene. To be quite honest, I didn’t think that they would ever get very far in the direction they appeared to be heading. They were a decent band, but didn’t seem to have anything to offer besides breakdowns and metal. Then comes Vanity. 13 songs ranging from acoustic ballads to a little techno (yes, I said techno) to the typical “in your face” brutal hardcore kids have come to expect from 18V. The album starts with the title track, Vanity, and it hits with the usual intensity of an 18V song, then the verse comes in with singing and melody. This change of pace caught me off guard, but it flows really well. This first track is the “appetizer” for the rest of the album, as it has a little bit of acoustic guitar behind the singing, then it builds into a brutal build with James barking his vocals angrily. The next two songs are in typical 18V fashion. Heavy-hitting. Chugga-Chugga guitar. Passionate vocals. The second song, Fashion Show, has one of the hardest breakdowns I have ever heard, and it could definitely get a crowd going. The fourth song is completely out of the ordinary. It sounds like it could be played on the radio. It doesn’t sound like 18V until about half way through and even then, it doesn’t seem to fit. The next “song” The Notes of My Reflection is an instrumental with acoustic guitar and drum and bass techno in the background. Yep, like I said, techno. The next two songs show more maturity and creativity in song writing for 18V. A little bit of melody mixed with heartfelt lyrics… add a little 18V and you get something new, different, and in my eyes, good. Some lyrics from the sixth song, A short walk down a long hallway, “You’re still the one that opened my eyes. Let me be the one to breath. How did you find me?” My biggest complaint with the album overall is that it changes pace a lot. I like the new direction and experimentation, but every second or third song is acoustic or techno, and it throws things out of wack. Another acoustic track follows on the 8th song, and then the 9th track comes back with a fast-paced, angry attack on the senses. It’s hard to describe. Two more songs follow in the direction of the title track, and then another instrumental, which is more background noise than a song. The last track, which is one of my favorites, is another ballad, but it is the best track lyrically and musically. Love in Autumn shows that the band has grown since their last release and that they are not just a one dimensional hardcore band. It ends the album well. This album is really good, but there are times when it is hard to listen to, as it jumps around so much. It is much better than any of the previous releases from 18V, at least in my eyes, but I’m not sure, even to this day, if I like the way it was pieced together. favorite song: "fashion show" / "love in autumn" (tie, they show both sides of the band) rating: 86%/100% listen to eighteen visions

Spotlight: My Chemical Romance

bst spotlight band. Having only been around for about a year, My Chemical Romance burst into the punk/emo scene with their first release, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, on Eyeball Records. This is the same label that released Thursday’s first album, Waiting. MCR combines fast-paced melodies with heartfelt vocals, creating a distinct sound all their own. Lyrically the band writes somewhat twisted love songs encompassing lyrics such as “These hands stained red, from the times I’ve killed you and then we can wash down this engagement ring with poison and kerosene.” Musically, the band combines everything from simple punk melodies to intricate harmonies and even the occasional sing-along. All in all, the band is nice change of pace from typical emo and hardcore bands and doesn’t bore the listener like a generic punk band. Check them out at: http://www.mychemicalromance.com. my chemical romance official website listen to my chemical romance

Review: Hot Water Music - Caution

artist: hot water music album: caution label: epitaph records released: 10/8/02 by: rob tatum Alright, it’s no secret to those of you who know me. Hot Water Music is my favorite band (the whole logo tattooed on my arm might be a clue). Regardless, their last album, A Flight and a Crash, disappointed me for the most part. It didn’t have the same driving, emotional thunder that a typical HWM album carries. I didn’t hate it, but it had me a little apprehensive for their second album on Epitaph, Caution. I went and picked this up the day it came out. It starts with the song “Remedy” which has the same feel as A Flight and a Crash. I thought maybe my love affair with the band was about to die. Then the second track “Trusty Chords” started… and that warm feeling, that has been so much to me in the last five years, hit home. The rest of this album marks maturity and progression for HWM. I don’t know if I could say that they found their strengths in this record, because they never really lost them, but this album can grab a listener and pull them in. Lyrically, the album is nothing compared to Forever and Counting or Fuel for the Hate Game, but this album is still miles ahead of any band on Epitaph and most bands out there today. From the fifth track, “It’s all related”: “When you come, crumbling, you will grow back again. Don’t hold your breath, don’t lie awake, don’t hesitate, be ready to see.” HWM has an amazing ability to write words that motivate one to keep their head up, no matter what the problem is. This is the best example on this album. Musically, this album is more diverse than any previous album. Each song is a little change of pace from the previous. It actually creates a nice flow. There is a bigger emphasis on melody on this album and it adds to the experience. My favorite example of this is in “I’m alright for now.” It begins really mellow with little guitar and builds into a melodic, emotional ballad with much smoother vocals than the previous albums. You’d think that it would be easy for me to review my favorite band, but it’s really difficult for me to put everything into words. In as few words as possible, my advice is that for anyone who has never heard HWM, or have been deterred because of the vocals, this album is worth your listen. I assure you that you won’t be disappointed. favorite song: "i'm alright for now" rating: 90%/100% listen to the hot water music

Review: Hopesfall - The Satellite Years

artist: .hopesfall. album: the satellite years label: trustkill records released: 10/15/2002 by: eduardo moutinho Alright, I’ll be honest with you. If you don’t know me, then let me dispel a fact about myself that will affect this review. I am a big fan of hopesfall. You could say I’m an enormous fan of this band. I believe they’re the best melodic hardcore band out there. Their incorporation and manipulation of the “melodic breakdown” is quite simply stunning. I believe they’re one of the few “core” bands that play beautiful hardcore. What I mean is that I believe if you pull an average Joe/Jane off the street that has never listened to hardcore and expose them to hopesfall, there is a good chance that they’ll acknowledge this band’s musicality. Anyway, hopesfall’s highly anticipated second full-length album, and Trustkill debut, The Satellite Years, is out. Here’s my take on it. I received this album in the mail straight from Trustkill, since I was one of the people who pre-ordered it. My first impression was of disappointment with the limited edition package that I received. I won’t go into details, but if you want to know what I’m talking about, visit thecommunity. A nice little thread about this has been generated for your reading pleasure. Nevertheless, the artwork for the album is quite beautiful. The choice of colors is very nice, with blues and whites dominating the insert. The motif of the artwork is a surreal sci-fi one. Eventually, I stuck the CD into my computer, and I started to listen. Unfortunately, the CD is only ten songs in length. Two of these songs are moody, yet simplistic instrumental pieces (“Andromeda” and “Redshift”). So in essence, the album is only eight songs, which is a bit short. The good news is that these eight songs are quite strong, with some definitely leading the way. Fans of hopesfall are aware about this band’s ability to grow and mature, from their experiences of listening to the band’s first album, The Frailty of Words, and the band’s popular EP, No Wings to Speak Of. Between those two efforts, hopesfall really grew musically, by beginning to incorporate more singing and instrumental parts into their music. This maturation process is evident in The Satellite Years. There are more singing and melodic instrumental portions than ever. This may scare off some of the more straight-up hardcore fans, but in my opinion, this is definitely a good thing. After the aforementioned instrumental piece “Andromeda,” the CD begins with a barrage of great songs. The first five songs following the introduction are absolutely amazing. From “Waitress” to “Dana Walker,” each song is filled with differing tempos, complex interludes, and a mish-mash of singing and screaming. Every facet of the music is wonderful. The guitars are fantastic, the drumming is on time and aggressive, and the vocals help tie it all together. This band is incredibly talented. They have an ear for melody. Like I mentioned before, there is a lot of singing on this record. The vocals are well-orchestrated; on many occasions, they overlap, with screaming and singing going on at the same time. This is conducted with great proficiency. After the other instrumental track, “Redshift,” the album heads into the straightaway, approaching the finish line. This latter portion of the album contains a sandwich of two traditional hopesfall-sounding songs, “Only the Clouds” and “The Bending,” and another, less traditional track (“Escape Pod for Intangibles”). “Escape Pod for Intangibles” contains no screaming, and features Matt Talbot from Hum (who also produced this album) aiding in the vocals. This track goes nowhere, and it almost manages to put the listener in a trance. In fact, it is very Hum-like, which is what I believe hopesfall was aiming for. In my opinion, this is the only track on the album that I don’t care much for. It’s not bad by any means, it’s just boring. The album ends with its strongest song, “The Bending.” This song is pure hopesfall. It begins with a fast-paced and lively tempo and ends with a poignant instrumental breakdown. It’s incredibly well-executed. In simple terms, this song personifies the band. In conclusion, this album passes my test. I expected a wonderful effort, and that’s what I received. This record is not a complete masterpiece like No Wings to Speak Of. That was an EP though, and this is a full-length. It is a bit too short, but I can’t do anything about that. Hopefully, they’ll throw an EP together in a year, I don’t know. The song with Talbot and the instrumental pieces are forgettable, but the rest isn’t. The remaining songs are beautiful in their musicality, vocals, and structure. If you look at it realistically, seven great songs out of eight is a grand achievement; hopesfall has managed to show that they are serious musicians with an endless amount of talent. In addition, they have managed to improve upon their sound. The new vocalist, Jay Forrest, proved to be a worthy replacement as well. As a whole, this album is incredible. favorite song: “the bending” rating: 95%/100% listen to .hopesfall.

Review: Tub Ring - Fermi Paradox

artist: tub ring album: fermi paradox label: underground inc. released: by: drew walton The name of this band still gets me wondering what these guys were discussing the night it was born and makes me wish I was there. After listening to this particular album, it really makes me want to get into their heads and discover the true motives behind their music. Not to say that it is bad in the least. In fact, for those who know me, this is something I crave: a band that will produce oxymoron after oxymoron in their music. It gets me hooked simply for its originality. I mean, which of you guys have heard an album where song seven is classic hard rock, song eight is short, fast, “grindy,” electric dissonance, and song nine is a raga (type of Indian music)? No you heard me right, song nine consists of an honest to God, sitar-driven raga. Well I have heard an album like this, and it‘s called Fermi Paradox. The album as a whole is hard to put a finger on. It’s a hard rockin’, punk, acid jazz, electrically supplemented good time. No matter what the tempo, I guarantee it’s an album that deserves to be danced to, and one such as me can’t really help but start moving to the beat. As long as you fight the temptation to ask yourself “why the hell did they put that there,” or “why did they decide to be like this here,” you’ll find that after listening to this album, you had a fairly good time. My favorite song would have to be “Living with Rene’s Head.“ Like I said before, I like this band’s music simply because of all the 180s they do. It’s like riding a Ferris wheel compared to riding a roller coaster. The Ferris wheel is fun and has a great view, making it good for some situations, but for my money I like to go up, down, get tossed around, and not know what’s going to happen next. The song goes jazz, “grindy” dissonance, jazz, dissonance, disco, rock, electronica, rock and repeat. Ahh, the combinations are endless. Speaking from a point of musicianship these guys really know what’s up. They just choose to express themselves differently. The rhythm section produces a lot of “danceability” as well as frequent solid time changes. The vocals have an aspect that any good vocalist should push in their voice: character. Along with tone and harmony, this aspect should be stressed. That same character is also stressed in the instruments, all 12 of them, aside from the obvious five-piece that makes up the actual band there are also ten extra guest musicians playing things like violin, marimba, vibraphone, sax, flute, trumpet, sitar, extra percussion, and adding extra vocals to the music. This vast number of musicians gives the freedom to explore some real exciting stuff. So in conclusion, even though this band may not sound serious at first listen, I believe that they are very serious, and have a serious message in their music. I felt even stronger about this after reading some of the lyrics and seeing how much real depth they have. It’s interesting to see the medium in which they chose to express these words. Eh, do whatever’s clever and this is clever indeed. favorite song: “living with rene’s head“ rating: 89%/100% listen to tub ring

Review: In Pieces - Learning to Accept Silence

artist: in pieces album: learning to accept silence label: escape artist records released: 4/30/02 by: rob tatum This has to be the hardest band in the world to describe. They combine just about everything into one big ball and out comes one of the best records that I have heard. Yes, ever. There is a little of everything for anyone on this album. Emo, hardcore, punk, screams, singing. It’s all here on this album. And it’s not chaotic at all. It flows better than most of the other bands out there. Each song has such precise song writing that you barely notice what is really happening. You just hear kick ass music. The album opens with “The Anchor” and follows with “A Fitting Lie.” Both are emotional, and melodic pieces with excellent flow. “A Fitting Lie” (Ed’s mp3 of the week for 10/6-10/13) has some intricate string work and is a really nice work. Next up on the album are two songs that hit pretty hard in some parts. I really like “Like Angels on the Verge of Suicide.” The guitar work and drums on this song make this song what it is and the lyrics are really emotional. “I turn my head and shed a tear and for what seems like a thousand miles until I hit the cold cement floor beside your feet.” The next few songs are all good, but nothing stands out directly in the beauty until the eighth track, “Walking this fine line.” Both melodic and heavy at the beginning, this song transforms into a fast paced, sing along, and then proceeds into a breakdown before the halfway point of the song. I really like the diversity. The album ends with “Your Switch to the Sun.” This is one of the best songs on the album, but not the best, it was difficult to pick just one. It represents everything In Pieces can do. The end of this song is really moving with mellow guitar riffs and drum work that builds into a nice ending melody. I love this album. Bottom line. Diverse. Good lyrics. Everything you could ever want in a record musically. I foresee this album finding a nice little spot in my usual rotation. The only disappointing thing I found out is that the band has parted ways with their vocalist, Scott Gibson, since this recording. I hope that the new vocalist can fill the shoes of Scott. This is worth checking out to fans of everything as it combines everything into one of the best records I have purchased this year. rating: 93%/100% favorite song: “walking this fine line” listen to in pieces

Review: The Postman Syndrome - Terraforming

artist: the postman syndrome album: terraforming label: now or never records released: 9/24/02 by: eduardo moutinho Our site, blood.sweat.tears, is about two months away from celebrating its one-year anniversary. Time sure does fly by. When we started this site, it was pretty simple, a couple of reviews here and there, a lackluster seafoam green interface, and a good five hits per day if we were lucky. While we haven’t reached Lambgoat or Buddyhead-like numbers, we’re getting more and more popular as each day passes. With this newfound popularity, a few perks have come our way as well. Receiving new CDs from upstart (and even established) labels is one of them. And in some cases, we’re blessed with an amazing work, like Terraforming. The Postman Syndrome is a new kid on the block from the thriving hardcore mecca known as New Jersey. This band approaches the game with their own unique formula, looking to incorporate their excellent musicianship and creativity to form their own unique beast of a sound. You’ll get a little bit of everything from this band. Similar to bands like Candiria, they incorporate all kinds of jazzy riffs and beats to fuse with hardcore. Plus, they take this a step further, by adding snippets of well-done acoustic guitar, flute, and horn interludes to their music. This is definitely a visionary band worth taking some time to explore. The band’s freshman outing, Terraforming, is the kind of album that you listen through from the beginning to the end. Taking a cue from The Blood Brothers, the album tells a story, through its lyrics and its music. The Postman Syndrome meticulously crafted this work, and they want your emotions to be struck on all levels as you listen to it. The lyrics themselves are wondrous, as they manage to relay the story on an intimate and eloquent level, while straying away from the norm of free verse. These words rhyme, yet they don’t rhyme like the words of a Good Charlotte song. They actually sound properly placed; there is not a sign of triteness to be found. The album itself is described by the band as “a story in eight parts.” Each part has a header name, such as “Amputees Make Bad Swimmers” or “Schizorabbit and the Face Parade.” Within each part, there are chapters. The actual tracks on the CD make up these chapters. It’s interesting, and a much needed breath of fresh air. I’m not going to go into heavy detail over each song, since I think the album itself is worth listening to from start to finish, yet I will give you a taste of what to expect. Like I mentioned above, each song is a roller-coaster ride of different sounds, tempos, instruments, etc. One song might have a heavy, Coalesce-sounding, introduction, with piercing vocals that suddenly leads into a mellow, atmospheric, verse with subtle singing vocals. As strange as it sounds, the parts fit together well and flow smoothly. You’re never left going “What the…” as you’re listening. Believe me, you will constantly be surprised. As I was listening to Terraforming, I couldn’t keep from being mesmerized by the beauty of the record. There were so many segments that grasped me, and didn’t let go. I found myself closing my eyes and moving my head gently in rhythm to the music on frequent occasions. These kinds of experiences make me love music the way I do. This whole piece managed to act as an escape for me. While I watch MTV, or browse through my 12-year-old sister’s CD collection, I get disillusioned by where music is heading. But when I have the opportunity to listen to a CD like this, I get back some hope and realize that there is still great music out there coming from relatively new bands, such as The Postman Syndrome. favorite song: Interpretive Decorating – Chapter X rating: 93%/100% listen to the postman syndrome

Review: Isis - Oceanic

artist: isis album: oceanic label: ipecac recordings released: 9/17/02 by: dan phelps This is the follow up to the highly acclaimed Celestial, and this is their best record to date. 9 tracks of incredibly expansive metal and hardcore. Each song has its parts that are crushing and heavy, and each song has its parts that are much more ambient and mellow. The songs are constructed very well, each 7 minute track flows, and combined with the artwork and layout, and noise it is all incredibly thematic. The recording is excellent, and each instrument is distinct, while still being loud. Giving her guest vocals to this record is Ayl Noir of the band 27. All of it is just excellent. Music that deserves to be heard and appreciated. Isis rocks. favorite song: n/a rating: n/a

Review: Sin Desires Marie - Self-Titled

artist: sin desires marie album: self-titled label: released: by: ryan nee This record is incredibly honest. That’s probably not something you usually hear a reviewer say, but I assure you that it’s the biggest compliment I could ever give to a collection of songs. I feel like I really understood the three female members of the local band Sin Desires Marie after listening. The record starts out with the most dreary song on the album, which discusses what I assume is a personal experience of one of the members of the band being raped. The lyrics are cold and to the point without getting too overbearing on the listener: "Hush now / don’t move, don’t speak now / hush / hush now." They go on to say, "This is the sound of breaking / breaking in." The song is angry, but accepting of past events, and is an overall excellent introduction to the honesty of Sin Desires Marie. The album progresses onward from the first song into more comfortable intellectual ground, and progresses in the music aspect also. The music is something along the lines of a slowed down version of Q and not U, but has its own edge and exclusively female vocals. The music is beautifully written – It is calm and soothing in the sense that it has very little distorted guitar and is almost entirely single notes, as if they took bass lines and converted them into guitar parts. Despite it’s calm attitude, this is very direct and to the point. The third song on the record probably has the best instrumentation with what sounds like a slightly jazz/dance/funk influenced sound that really works out well and culminates in the end with a multi-layered vocal climax completed by consistency of the clanging bell of the ride cymbal. My absolute favorite moment of this record is probably what some people would view as the weakest area of the album, but I think it’s pretty incredible. In the seventh song something really amazing happens, where the two singers are singing over each other and you hear one of their voices start to shake and get out of key when she says, "This is the last time I wanted to talk to you anymore." As a singer, I find that it’s pretty tense to hear someone’s voice start to shake in a recording. Immediately, out of nowhere, the same singer comes in and booms out with unbelievable confidence, "I am done! / I am done / I am done." This is probably one of my favorite moments of a record that I’ve ever heard. It is human. It’s honest. It’s sincere. It’s beautiful. This album is definitely one of the best local records I’ve ever heard, and something that people will not regret having as a part of their collection. rating: 92%/100%

Spotlight: The Hope Conspiracy

bst spotlight band. The Hope Conspiracy is five piece hardcore outfit that took the hardcore world by storm when it formed in late 1999. They released a 7” in early 2000 and have taken off since then. Their first full length, Code Blue, was released on Equal Vision Records in October of 2000. The band states that they were “still finding their style” at the time of this recording. About a year later, they released a six song EP called File 03, and began to define their style. Which leads us to today… their second full length, Endnote, is one of the most anticipated releases of the year. Code Blue was a new direction for hardcore, with amazing guitar work, crisp vocals. After hearing the EP, and if anyone has ever seen this band live, you would understand why in less than two years, The Hope Conspiracy has become one of hardcore’s biggest names. They fill the stage with energy that doesn’t stop from start to finish and they entertain the crowd better than half the bands that exist today. For those that haven’t heard this band, you are missing out on a new perspective on hardcore. Check out the band's website and Equal Vision Records for more information and some mp3’s. the hope conspiracy official website

Review: Dillinger Escape Plan - Irony is a Dead Scene

artist: the dillinger escape plan album: irony is a dead scene label: epitaph records released: 8/27/02 by: eduardo moutinho Okay, when I heard about this combination of Dillinger Escape Plan (DEP) and Mike Patton (Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, and Fantomas), I was incredibly intrigued. I think DEP is one of the only grindcore-oriented bands that I actually can find some liking to. They're a crazy band indeed, as many of you know. DEP is notorious for their shows filled with fire and chaos. In fact, many believe they're the best ticket anyone can find. Musically, they are just as crazy, with sporadic musicality, insane tempos and time signatures, and pure spontaneity in song structure. Patton has been in his own little world with Mr. Bungle and Fantomas over the past few years. Mr. Bungle, in particular, is as unique as DEP, with its mellower music and various inspirations. Their albums have generated a loyal, cult-like, following, along with critical acclaim. Fantomas is probably the closest thing to DEP that Patton has associated himself with, and that is a loose statement to make. While Fatntomas has little inklings of grindcore, it's more comparable to Melt-Banana than Dillinger Escape Plan. This is why Patton's involvement on this record intrigues me. I guess this is the pattern that Patton is choosing to go by, one that is similar to DEP's music in its spontaneity. Nevertheless, the hype has been generated, the EP is here, and it is indeed quite an interesting piece of work... The record consists of four songs. All of them quite insane. I'll be blatantly honest here, Patton's vocals do not work with DEP's music. This isn't a case of "two completely unique elements combining to create something masterful" at all. On the first track, "Hollywood Squares," Patton chooses to wail over the incredibly fast past of the song, which unfortunately makes for a strange combination that doesn't hit the ear right. On the next track, he opts to sing in small and quick little bursts for a good portion of the song, sounding almost like he's speaking in tongues. The style of singing he displays reminds me of Jonathan Davis singing "Twist" from Korn's Life is Peachy album. I don't think many people here like Korn, so I'm not sure how many will perceive what Patton is trying to do. The third song on the EP, "When Good Dogs Do Bad Things," should be noted for its percussion and overall instrumentation. This is pure DEP here. In fact, the whole record demonstrates DEP's method to their mayhem. The band consists of good musicians, that know what they're doing. Those who like the DEP sound will be able to easily recognize that this is indeed the band they have grown to love. The guitars are there, the drums are there, the time signatures too. But again, this EP just sounds strange because of what the band is trying to do with Patton. Again, I believe it's commendable. They're trying to experiment with something different, but it doesn't work. Nevertheless, I'd like to praise the band for their attempt to cover the classic electronica song "Come to Daddy" by Aphex Twin as the last song on the EP. It's a really great song that is definitely worthy of a cover. All in all, I did not enjoy this EP. I assume that many people will like, and many will love, what DEP has done with Patton and vice versa. I think that DEP is a better band with their own vocalist doing all the work, and I think Patton is a better vocalist doing his own thing. This is a fascinating work though, that people should listen to. It can be best described as an interesting idea that just didn't work, like Pepsi Blue or Nintendo's Virtual Boy. favorite song: "come to daddy" rating: 70%/100% listen to the dillinger escape plan

Review: Grade - Headfirst Straight to Hell

artist: grade album: headfirst straight into hell label: victory records released: 8/2001 by: eduardo moutinho This album has been out for a while, I am very aware about that. I am also aware that Grade is pretty much done, at least for the time being. Nevertheless, this album is worth reviewing, and for those who have never heard it or are interested in reading about it, this will be of some value. Headfirst Straight into Hell is Canada’s own Grade’s latest and possibly last release. The band is best known for their popular releases Separate the Magnets, The Embarassing Beginning, and Under the Radar. Grade’s sound is hard to describe, and definitely unique. They manage to blend together elements of emo, punk, and hardcore into an amalgam they call their own. The vocals are even more difficult to explain, since they sound like a mix of singing and screaming. Their sound is thoroughly respected in many circles, and a countless number of bands have tried to emulate it or incorporate many of its elements into their music. First off, the production value of the album is quite low. For some reason, this album does not sound as crisp and vibrant as it should. Under the Radar sounds much better. That is quite strange, since it was recorded beforehand and the band probably had a smaller budget to work with at that time. It seems that the treble is too high, which makes the guitars sound tinnier than they should, and takes away some of the body from the music. These problems cannot really be remedied by a good equalizer either. It’s not something that makes the album difficult to listen to. It sounds fine, but for a band with Grade’s connections, a more sharply produced album is expected. Anyway, onto the actual music, while Under the Radar showed Grade’s pop-oriented side, Headfirst Straight into Hell is definitely a step towards the harder and grittier sonic end. This can be attributed to the fact that the band went through some member changes before the album was actually recorded. In actuality, I think the harder sound is a welcome change. It’s more aggressive, and the songs seem to have more bite to them. There is heavier emphasis on the guitar work for this record. There are more catchy lead parts being played, and the layering is quite good. The vocals are excellent. Kyle Bishop’s singing really helps round out the band’s sound. As I mentioned earlier, his voice is sort of a scream/sing hybrid. It can almost be described as an excessively raspy singing voice, yet I think that gives a bad impression. It works really well, and manages to flow incredibly with the actual screaming. The transitions between singing and screaming are flawless. The vocals blend with the music, even more so on this album because of the aggressive style. Highlights on this album include the excellent opening piece “Termites Hollow,” fast paced “Becoming Not Being,” catchy “Overthrowing Creation Itself,” and the hypnotic “Twenty Moons.” There’s a lot of variety in the album. “Termites Hollow” and “Becoming Not Being” are fast and aggressive pieces showing the direction the band was heading in at the time of the recording, yet songs like “Overthrowing Creating Itself,” “In the Wake of Poseidon," and “Will Bending” sound like the Grade of Under the Radar and Triumph & Tragedy. Then, songs like “Twenty Moons” are slow and more epic-sounding. It’s a very interesting mix, and I enjoy it quite a bit. In the end, I think this is a solid album. If this is indeed the swan song for Grade, that would be an absolute shame. I think the band is incredibly talented, and they have become an institution in our scene. No matter what, they definitely have left with a bang. favorite song: "termites hollow" rating: 90%/100% listen to grade

Review: Unearth - The Stings of Conscience

artist: unearth album: the stings of conscience label: eulogy recordings released: 1/16/01 by: eduardo moutinho Let me be blunt here, I don’t like metal. I don’t like cheesy solos. I don’t like whammy bars, and I sure as hell don’t like Yngwie Malmsteen. I’m not into new school metal either. You won’t find me at a Meshuggah or Children of Bodom show. It’s pretty cut and dry with me. Kind of… When I first heard of Unearth, and what they’re all about, I was really turned off. I heard about their amazing guitarists and ridiculous talent, and thought that I would absolutely hate them. I held this mentality until I went to a show last December, the self-dubbed “Cancelfest 2002.” At this show, Unearth became the headliner by default because A Static Lullaby, Hope Conspiracy, and From Autumn to Ashes didn’t make the show due to the weather. I was left there, angry and irritated. I didn’t want to sit through a show like that in my wildest imaginations. Amazingly, after watching the mass of hair, sweat, and technical prowess known as Unearth, I was converted into a fan. Unearth manages to do the impossible. They bridge the gap between those who love metal, and those who love hardcore. They take a little bit from hardcore, like the non-guttural screaming vocals and devastating breakdowns, and combine it with a few hints of metal, like blistering leads and power ballad verses. It’s a relatively simple concept that is difficult to explain. In layman’s terms, they take the good stuff from hardcore and metal and put it together into something nice. While this music takes incredible musicianship to play, there are no odd times or experiments going on here. This music is pretty straightforward. It’s the kind of music you want to listen to while beating on something. This is as “Headbanger’s Ball” as hardcore gets. In actuality, this is the definition of metalcore. Anyway, this review goes over Unearth’s latest full-length, The Stings of Conscience. This is a relatively old release, yet I think it’s an important album to review. Each song on the album can be described as a jumble of heavy segments, lead segments, interludes, and breakdowns. While this is somewhat general, you won’t be seeing spontaneous moments of brilliance by the band here. A pattern is being followed, and it works, for what the band is trying to accomplish. Songs like “Only the People,” “One Step Away,” and "Fuel the Fire” start out violently and stay the course. The hard intros lead into complicated string bridges, where a scale is being dexterously executed by one of the band’s guitar players. It’s ridiculous. On many occasions I found myself with my mouth wide open, imagining how difficult it is to play some of these parts. Other impressive guitar feats, such as finger tapping, are evident as well. The two guitarists in this band are incredibly talented. The title track of the album serves as a résumé for these two individuals. A good 75% of the song is all lead. It’s pure insanity. What’s even more impressive is that the songs are faithfully reproduced on stage, and in some cases, one of the players has his guitar behind his head. Unbelievable. You might be wondering, “I remember you saying that you hate lead parts, what gives?” Good question. I believe my previous statement of Unearth’s music being a good mix of hardcore and metal answers this question. While these crazy lead parts are going on, the vocals and drumming are keeping it from sounding like Exodus. The vocals are well done and the drumming is quite proficient. Unearth sounds hardcore, to be quite honest. They manage to do it. Plus, the lead parts are balanced out by nasty breakdowns. This band delivers some of the hardest breakdowns I have ever heard. I mean, this is the kind of hard that can render someone into a Cro-Magnon man. I’ve seen it happen before. In addition to all the heaviness, some songs actually have hints of power ballad-like interludes. Songs like “My Desire” and “Monition,” while very heavy in their own right, have instances of slow and tinny interludes, which would make Whitesnake proud. There is no singing, at all. But these interludes are there, and almost out of place. Sometimes, in the case of “Monition,” they act as transitions to blistering heaviness. There’s not much more I can say about this album, outside of it being a good escape from reality, if you’re angry or in the mood to get your heart racing a little bit. It won’t challenge your brain, unless you play guitar and wish you were as good as the individuals in this band. favorite song: "stings of conscience" rating: 83%/100% listen to unearth

Review: Dead Poetic - Four Wall Blackmail

artist: dead poetic album: four wall blackmail label: solid state records released: 6/4/02 by: rob tatum I first heard Dead Poetic at their show with Zao in July. I was pretty impressed by the performance. (See my show review) When I got home I did some research and found out some more information. The band is on Solid State Records (one of the biggest Christian labels). This sometimes can put a damper on how much I like a band, but not Dead Poetic. I downloaded an mp3 that night and read the lyrics, surprisingly not preachy. They are Christian, but you probably wouldn’t know from the music. Anyway, this spawned me to go pick up their new album, Four Wall Blackmail. The album opens with the song "Burgundy," a catchy, emotional sing along. Lyrics include, “When you cried, when died, when you told me you’d open my eyes, I believed you.” The music is melodic and simple (as much of the album is). It’s pretty heavy, but it doesn’t sound as heavy because of the vocals, which are very melodic with background screams. This is one of the best songs on the album; my only complaint is that it is so simple. The chorus repeats over and over and the music fails to progress. Second is "The Corporate Enthusiast." A less melodic anthem that describes the problems with the music industry. The message behind the song is justified, but the music is awful. Almost redundant punk at times. The intro vocals are awful as well, like bad screamo. Lead singer Brandon Rike must have forgotten what he was good at because half this song is just obnoxious. The only good part of the song besides the motive of the lyrics is the bridge with some decent guitar stringwork. The third song starts off with some of the problems from the previous. Too much of the screams and not enough melody. But it improves. A Green Desire is one of the best sounding songs on the album, but the lyrics seem to be about God, or coincidentally a girl that would guide you to the answers. Haha. The music is simple, but fits the vocals well in the melodic parts of the song. The screaming has got to go by this point in the album. It just doesn’t work with the music. Next is the title track, "Four Wall Blackmail." This is the longest song on the album. It begins with some string work on the guitar. This song has the best intro of any song on the album. The screaming doesn’t stop, but seems to fit a little better in this song. This is one of my favorite songs from this album, even though the song does involve many references to God. The song is very well arranged and it is very melodic. The music isn’t that complex and the lyrics aren’t to my preference, but this is one song that demonstrates Dead Poetic’s ability to make good sounding music. It’s catchy and pleasing to the ear. Fifth is "August Winterman." The track is another well arranged piece. Nothing amazing musically, but that’s about how the whole album is. Lyrics include “Perfect, as if my wings worked like yours…but I’m falling down…..it’s a disease they’ll never have a cure for.” It’s hard to tell what the lyrics are about in this song, but this is my favorite song vocally (*I’m big on good sounding vocals*). The background screams actually mesh with the music and singer Brandon Rike sticks to what he is good at for most the song. "Ottie Olsen" is the name of the sixth track. It has the worst intro of any of the songs on this album, and the verse isn’t much better. They should have saved the chorus for another song and thrown the rest of it out the window. The vocals in everything but the chorus are terrible. The music isn’t much better. It is plain, fast, and downright annoying. Listening to this song is frustrating because the chorus is really good. The seventh song, "Bliss Tearing Eyes," is an all acoustic track. Very emo in everything about it. Some of the lyrics are “Cause you bleed all the time. The pieces of a broken heart are wasted time. And I can’t forgive myself for all the things I’ve done. But you, you do.” I’ll let you decided what that is about. It’s a toss up, but being from a Solid State band, I am going to go with the song being about God. It’s a nice change of pace and I really like Brandon’s voice. Next up is "Stereochild," which, from the lyrics, is ironically about the problems I speak of with Christian bands and their preaching. Or at least from my perspective. Dead Poetic’s lyrics are hard to interpret but you would have to listen to this album to understand what I am talking about. This is another catchy song, but the background screams are a little overused. "Arlington Arms" starts with terrible, boring driving guitar and those horrible screams. The verse and chorus of the song are a little easier to swallow as it gets a tad more melodic. Another lyrical change as this one is about Suburbia and the American dream. The lyrics are a nice change of pace, but the intro ruins the song. The final track, "Tell Myself Goodbye," is another lyrical enigma in terms of motivation. There is really good drum work toward the beginning of the song, about the only thing I noticed about the drums throughout the record, as it isn’t just builds or blast beats. Nothing special about this song. Typical melodic song with screaming backing vocals. This band has a ton of potential. The oldest member of the band is only 23, and the rest are like 19. If they figure out what is going for them and get rid of the boring redundancy of the screams, they will go far. They are really good at writing catchy songs, but some of the parts don’t fit. I recommend this to anyone who likes emo-core, but they don’t use the screams properly. I am anxious to see where this band progresses. Not a bad album by any means. favorite song: "august winterman" rating: 77%/100% listen to dead poetic

Review: Keepsake - Black Dress in a B Movie

artist: keepsake album: black dress in a b movie label: fearless records released: 6/11/02 by: rob tatum I am not really sure how many of you have actually heard the band Keepsake, but let me tell that it is pretty hard to track down their material. I finally found their new CD. For those of you who haven’t heard Keepsake, the band was emo-core, and they played very catchy songs about girls for the most part. Most of their older material included very poppy vocals mixed with occasional hardcore screams and crazy guitar work. Well, throw half of that out the door. The latest release, Black Dress in a B Movie is about 100% emo. No more cool backing vocals, no more crazy guitar work. This CD really disappointed me. It’s 10 songs with a really cheesy drum solo at the end of the last song. The drumming isn’t terrible, but who puts a drum solo on their album?? The whole album is mellower than any of their previous releases. The aforementioned hardcore screaming really added to the prowessof the band. None of the tracks are really bad, but there is nothing left to surprise you or anything. I don’t have a favorite song because nothing stands out to me. To be honest I thought it was really boring. The lyric writing of Shane Halpern is still really cool, and it has progressed from the basic love song, to deep, thought out feelings. However, it’s not enough to entertain me in the slightest. If any of you have heard their full length right before this, The End of Sound, you would understand my perspective. Musically the band is really talented, but the guitars aren’t used to their potential at all. The bass and drums play a much bigger part in this albumthan in the past, but it needs more guitar work. Not the worst album I have bought lately, but by far the worst release thus far for Keepsake. rating: 73%/100% listen to keepsake

Review: Qualm - Long Story Short

artist: qualm album: long story short label: not bad records by: rob tatum Well, for those of you that have been around long enough to remember Qualm of say 1997 or so, then you know what Qualm was about…… Now enter 2002 with an open mind…… This new album is a new direction for Qualm. Even as a long time fan, Long Story Short blew me away. I think that this album is Qualm’s way of saying to everyone that they are serious about making music and that they are here to stay. The album consists of ten songs, plus one secret joke track. The secret track might be their way of reminding people that while they are serious about their music, that it’s okay to have some fun now and then. My favorite song on the album is the third track “Bring Down.” The song is about the corruption of parts of the music scene. It focuses on the people only involved for money. The message is far more serious than the days of songs about Hanson and what not. Not only do the lyrics demonstrate a new direction, the music has progressed as well since the last EP. You can expect more dimensions to the music from the Qualm of the past. I also really liked the cover song. The ninth track is a cover of Lifetime’s “Young, Loud, and Scotty.” The song was probably my favorite song by Lifetime, and for someone to bring it back and introduce it to more people is great. Anyone who has “heard” Qualm, needs to hear this record. It is not the best album I have ever listened to by any means, but it provides new potential in our scene and shows that there are quality bands making quality records. rating: 83%/100%

Review: Hot Cross - A New Set of Lungs

artist: hot cross album: a new set of lungs label: level plane records released: by: eduardo moutinho How to describe this band… Hmm… I don’t know if you can really capture this band’s sound and essence with words. This band is really interesting. Yeah. They are interesting. That’s a good way of putting it. The first time I heard this band, I wanted to call them a grindcore band, but as I listened to them some more, I changed my mind in the most extreme of fashions. I can’t really say they’re a grindcore band, but I can’t say they’re not. Maybe I can call them post-hardcore, but that is too general. Eh, it doesn’t matter. This band has so many different elements to it, which contribute to why I think they’re worth talking about. Hot Cross’ CD, A New Set of Lungs, is quite a work. This seven-song, 14-minute-long, barrage of sound is an almost academic listen. Each song has little to do with the other, as the band experiments with all sorts of different sounds, tempos, styles, and whatnot. There’s a lot of screeching guitars, choppy licks and even choppier drums, frantic screaming, tempo changes, catchy string parts, and interesting chord progressions. This band goes all over the place on this record. The first song on the CD, “Born on the Cusp” is all about quickness. I could imagine this band playing the song live and how insane it would be. Song number two, “History Fell in the Heart Broke Open” starts fast and then slows down, and ends with an awesome exchange of hard guitars and interesting string parts. The third song, “Between Minutes and Miles” is slower, and even starts with a bass line as the main player. The fourth song, “Lend Me Your Brain,” is more on the chaotic end. The album goes on like this until the end… The best song on this album, as far as my opinion is concerned, is “Putting the Past Right.” I absolutely love the beginning chord progression, which is also used right at the end of the song. It is awesome. The transition between this part, and the string part that follows it, is done abruptly and effectively. This song grabs you. When I heard it, I wanted to hear this band more. It managed to wiggle into my head, like some kind of parasite, and make a home, very good stuff indeed. Also, the song summarizes the band’s sound on this CD nicely, it has choppy and fast parts along with the slower elements. The musicality of the band is good; for this sound to be achieved, you need good musicians. It requires fast playing, good timing, and a good grasp of music theory. The vocalist has a somewhat high-pitched, indie rock-sounding, voice. His singing is segmented, and hard to describe, like the band’s sound. Honestly, I do have a few problems with this release. Firstly, the drumming is impressive, for the most part, but a lot of parts sound too similar to each other. The “ta-TA ta-ta-TA ta-ta-TA ta-ta-TA” kind of rhythm is used in multiple songs. It becomes off putting after a while. I know using “tas” is not a good way of making an accurate mental picture of this rhythm, but it becomes apparent once you listen to the album. Maybe this comes from their grindcore influences; no matter what, I grew a bit tired of it. Also, I wish there was more melody in the album. “Putting the Past Right” has great incorporation of a melodic chord progression in the beginning, which really makes the song shine. There are hints of melody throughout the record as well. If that was exploited a bit more, the music would be more captivating. In conclusion, I really commend this band for their experimentation. I generally don’t like bands of this nature, yet I really like Hot Cross. In fact, I can see them as a transitional band for me, one that opens the door to some things that I would not have wanted to look into previously. I definitely plan on listening to this release more, and absorbing its uniqueness. favorite song: "putting the past right" rating: 85%/100% listen to hot cross