Review: Funeral for a Friend - Seven Ways to Scream Your Name

artist: funeral for a friend album: seven ways to scream your name label: ferret records released: 10/21/03 by: eduardo moutinho One of the most effective means of conducting any kind of business is to go by the motto “the ‘flavor of the month’ sells.” The Welsh band Funeral for a Friend seems to have caught onto this slogan in their recent Ferret release, Seven Ways to Scream Your Name. Honestly, if I would have listened to this record about six months ago, I would have given up on it immediately. Thankfully, I’ve gotten to a state that has allowed me to come back to this kind of straightforward emocore derivation. Those who are craving new and original music are in for a disappointment, and those who want to listen to challenging music should stop reading this review right now. Funeral for a Friend knows how to manipulate what is currently popular into something that slides nicely into the “semi-mainstream” musical segment of our scene. But wait just a second, this isn’t entirely bad. Sometimes it’s good to listen to something that fits a successful formula; that is, if it’s done correctly. Honestly, these guys are good at what they do. The music exhibited on Seven Ways to Scream Your Name is a mixture of aggressive emocore mixed with some pop rock and punk. The singer is energetic, and he uses his vocals to scream and sing effectively. In addition, the musicality is quite solid with the guitars leading the way. There are a variety of catchy mini-solos thrown throughout the songs along with a series of rhythmic verses. It’s easy to get into the music on frequent occasions. Percussion is average but also solid, and the drummer adds in some rather mediocre background screaming vocals throughout the tracks. I was reminded of Atreyu’s singer and his awful screaming, so in this regard, the music was affected negatively. When closely listening to this record, I realized that its simplicity is one of the strong points. I can get into the music without having to think, and sometimes, that is all I really need and want. The production value is crisp, leading to a tightly fabricated and polished product. I can stick this in my car stereo and just go. Interestingly enough, I was tempted to listen to this record after downloading a promotional mp3 of the song “This Year’s Most Open Heartbreak” off the Ferret website. The song is one of the most extremely catchy pieces that I have recently encountered. In the end, it turns out to be the best song on the record. Songs like “Kiss and Make Up (All Bets Are Off)” and “Escape Artists Will Never Die” are also worth listening to. The rest of the album is decent, but the tracks all too frequently become victims of musical clichés seen in the genre, as stated above. Nevertheless, Seven Ways to Scream Your Name is still a nice compilation, and it’s refreshing to see something new coming from Wales. I’ve only been recently privy to Princess Diana and Ryan Giggs. favorite song: “this year's most open heartbreak" rating: 80%/100% listen to funeral for a friend

Review: Down to Nothing - Save it for the Birds

artist: down to nothing album: save it for the birds label: thorp records released: 2003 by: rob tatum Maybe it’s just me, but I really cannot grasp how a band can be pleased with songs that are better measured in seconds than minutes. It really irritates me. Anyway, Richmond’s Down to Nothing is a fast-paced, East Coast straight edge band. Easily compared to the likes of Champion, In My Eyes, or numerous East Coast bands, the band struggles to establish a sound of their own on this album. Perhaps the band set out to sound like the aforementioned bands, and if not, they accomplished it. I give the band credit for creating energetic hardcore and standing up for the things they believe in. That’s the best part about music in general, but unfortunately that’s how I feel about Save it for the Birds, generic. The musicianship is very basic, as blast beats and power-chords reign supreme. This isn’t my genre, it never has been, it never will be. The band does nothing for me. If you like this style, Down to Nothing pulls it off pretty well, but there’s nothing special here. favorite song: "who are you to say" rating: 66%/100% listen to down to nothing

Review: Radio Berlin - Glass

artist: radio berlin album: glass label: action driver released: 2003 by: rob tatum I can honestly say the Glass is a nice change of pace. Radio Berlin implements some interesting elements into a blend of spacey, dancy rock. The four piece uses many electronic instruments to develop a very unique sound. Glass could easily be compared to a release from the Cure, Radiohead, Q and Not U, and a handful of others. There is such a vast range of sounds incorporated in the eight songs, that is nearly impossible to pinpoint the sound. The vocals are slow tempoed and remind me of Pink Floyd at times. Then again, they also remind me of Robert Smith from the Cure at other times. The diversity of the album takes the listener on a very interesting journey. Slow, dark songs are followed by upbeat, dancy songs. Ordinarily this roller coaster method doesn’t appeal to me, but Glass managed to keep this critic entertained throughout. Fans of a diverse, yet uncompromising sound will thoroughly enjoy this release. Radio Berlin touches on such a wide range of sounds, that it is easy to get into the songs. If I had to categorize Glass as anything, it’s flat out rock, and I think it’s quite good. favorite song: "aftermath" rating: 85%/100% listen to radio berlin

Review: Emmanuel 7 - Machines in Routine

artist: emmanuel 7 album: machines in routine label: thorp records released: 2003 by: rob tatum Connecticut’s Emmanuel 7 is one of those bands that leave the listener perplexed at first listen. Mixing hardcore with strong doses of metal and grind along with a little bit of melody, the band generates a heavy barrage on the senses. Once the band’s sound starts to sink in, it is a little easier to analyze the various components of the music. One of the first things that I picked up on was the single guitar. At times the band’s music reminds me of Coalesce (i.e. the single guitar), and yet there are instances when Emmanuel 7 struggles with extremely muddy distortion and bland beats. The vocal range of singer Darrell Tauro is exhibited on tracks such as “Chamomile” but he struggles to really make an impact with his singing. The deep, overpowering vocals that appear on the majority of the tracks begin to be a little monotone as it coincides with the music. I was generally impressed by the musicianship; however, the grind parts don’t fit certain songs and really take away from the overall flow the album. Machines in Routine exhibits a wide range of musical styles and abilities, but I really think that Emmanuel 7 is trying to do too much with too little. This might appeal to fans of older Cave In and Coalesce, but Machines in Routine is a too diverse to make any direct comparisons. favorite song: "chamomile" rating: 83%/100% listen to emmanuel 7

Review: Dead Water Drowning - Self-Titled EP

artist:dead water drowning album: self-titled EP label: black market activities released: 2003 by: rob tatum Falling somewhere between Meshuggah and Between the Buried and Me, New Hampshire’s Dead Water Drowning assaults listeners with a barrage of metal and grind paralleled by few. Blistering break downs are accompanied by technical riffs and are followed by thundering grind attacks. The most impressive part of Dead Water Drowning is the use of a single guitar player. While the musicianship may not be the most technical, it is rare to see a metalcore or grindcore band using only one guitarist. That may explain why the band is searching for a second guitarist, but on this recording, the band only uses one guitar The vocals are very similar to Between the Buried and Me or At the Gates. Very powerful growls pound from vocalist Nate Johnson. I really enjoyed his lyrics on this release. Here’s an excerpt from the song “Bliss from a Dead Embrace,” ‘Took everything I had to give and then you gave up. It’s probably not as bad as it seems. I am just stuck in my own worst dreams. The ones where you rip my heart from my chest.’ This EP exhibits a very solid sound. The five songs are filled with a ton of power and energy. If this band adds a second guitarist, things can only go up for them. Look for this band to cement themselves as a force in the metal/grind core community. favorite song: "bliss from a dead embrace" rating: 84%/100% listen to dead water drowning

Review: Narcissus - Crave and Collapse

artist: narcissus album: save it for the birds label: abacus recordings released: 2003 by: rob tatum Narcissus’s third full length, Crave and Collapse, is a compelling release that may elevate the band to the forefront of the post hardcore genre. While the concept of combining hardcore and emo is nothing new, the combination must be perfect to give a band any chance of making themselves known. Narcissus appears to have tackled the task with ease. Crave and Collapse demonstrates a well developed sense of creativity and melody that the majority of post hardcore bands lack. The Ohio four piece uses solid musicianship as the backbone of this release. All aspects of the release are well arranged. The songs on Crave and Collapse possess an energy that is usually missing from post hardcore releases. The vocals, both singing and screaming, are very in tune with the music. My favorite part of this album is that nothing is overdone. There’s just the right amount of hardcore to appease hardcore fans and just enough emo to appease emo fans. It’s almost a symbiotic relationship. Fans of Under the Radar era Grade, Thursday, and A Static Lullaby will instantly love this album. I know I did. favorite song: "rush" rating: 89%/100% listen to narcissus