Something that strikes me about The Heavenly States is the tremenous amount of restraint that they maintain throughout the earliest states of the disc. While lead vocalist Ted strains eir vocals during tracks like “Pretty Lifeâ€, the entire band’s output is very sedate. Tracks like “Black Comet†are so dense that they can work on four or five distinct levels without blending the distinct instruments into a muck. The density…
Harlots – The Human War Machine / 2006 Self / 2 Tracks / http://www.harlots666.com / [email protected] / Reviewed 24 August 2006 “This Is A Test…and No Flesh Shall Be Spared†is recorded in a very rough way. The heaviness of the track could be due to the guitars and drums playing off of each other, or it may very well be that the distortion created by the recording of these…
Hey everybody, James here from NeuFutur. I don’t do many personal posts here on the online version of our ‘zine, but just wanted to update everyone. The staff is on our first lengthy vacation for about four or five years – literally. We’re going to keep updating as best we can, but our reviews until April Fool’s Day will be going back into our massive archives. There will be pieces…
Hard Skin – Same Meat Different Gravy / 2005 TKO Records / 13 Tracks / [email protected] / http://www.tkorecords.com / Reviewed 12 March 2005 Hard Skin is one of the most solid and impressive oi! Bands to come out ever, which is even more of a feat since their music is technically a “send-up of oi musicâ€. Much like their ideological brothers Stars and Stripes (and to a lesser degree Manic…
A Heartwell Ending starts out their “Trust Us We Lie†with some of the most genuine and impressive new emo since Amber Pacific cut their “Fading Days†EP. Whether the band is able to live up to that comparison for the rest of the disc is the $64,000 question. While the vocals created by A Heartwell Ending are good purveyors of information, they also work admirably with the guitar works…
Hanover Saints – Murdertown / 2006 GMM / 15 Tracks / http://www.thehanoversaints.com / http://www.gmmrecords.net / Reviewed 19 May 2006 Each of the songs on “Murdertown†is really clean and clear for streetpunk music, but at some point there is nothing harder and more fun than what the Hanover Saints put onto this disc. The first track that will hit listeners over the head repeatedly has to be “The Crosshairsâ€. From…
Hannah Marcus – Desert Farmers / 2003 Bar None Records / 10 Tracks / http://www.bar-none.com / http://www.hannahmarcus.com / Released January 2004 / Reviewed 24 November 2003 While Hannah’s press release and CD is plastered with the fact that ey has worked and toured with Godspeed You Black Emperor!, “Desert Farmers†starts out with “Laosâ€, a track that warmly greets people with a coherence that GYBE! would hate. Synthesizers ebb and…
The inclusion of a more electronic sound to a hard, modern rock sound is something that I’ve personally never heard in the genre. Kudos to Bulletproof Messenger for having the cohones to blend together this style, making “Arm Yourself†an intense, impassioned bit of rock that soars on the wings of this electronic side. Nowhere is this captured as well as during “Lose It Allâ€, which bounces back and forth…
“Sound It Out†is a track that provides a solid amount of energy with an ear for pop arrangements, allowing a wide swath of listeners a proper introduction to The Locals. Each element of the band hits hard, whether it the alluring vocals put forth, the splashing and all-encompassing drums, or the harmonies achieved by the guitar. Despite The Locals packing up shop on “Sound It Out†well before the…
“Ride†is an energetic bit of rock music that has all the fury of punk while having a more focused and sharp sound. There is little to compare The Cringe to; they come forth with a little of the progressive sound of Rush even as hints of Buckcherry struggle with AC/DC influences. The sheer eclecticism of The Cringe is something that will put listeners’ butts into seats, while the catchiness…
