Wow, it has been a long time since I’ve gotten to review an Ampline disc. I wish it hadn’t been so long, as the band starts out with the very intense “Your Tongue or Your Lifeâ€. This song has all of the emotional intensity of a Fugazi or a Desert City Soundtrack, tying the best parts of both bands up into something complete. While there are segments of an Ampline…
I do not know how Tiberius Records does it, but it seems that every release that I get from them better in quality, and “The Choir” is no exception. This is an instrumental CD, but don’t let that hold you from buying this killer CD. The bass, guitars and drums really mesh together to make an urgent sound that keeps you bound to the stereo until the end of the…
Amerijah start off their “Project Won†with a track in “Dove Wing Rhythm†that has a lot of energy, but does not do anything with it in the nearly four minutes that the track has. If there was some more experimentation or a voice to break up the music during this track, the chance is that the band would come out as something more than more bouncy elevator music.
American Timebomb start out this LP with “Live It Upâ€, a track that is impressive not for the pop-punk sound it holds as sacrosanct, but rather their choice of influences on this track. There is a mixture of eighties Ramones and just a hint of Lillingtons in the mix; what occurs in this track is a sad sense of longing that the bouncy beat of the track is not strong…
American Timebomb has a wonderful pedigree, with members of The Charlestons, The Stines and The Freedumb Fries forming a band in the hope of playing a Ramones/Screeching Weasel type of punk music. To be honest, versions of tracks that would find their way onto this CD were available for download on the band’s MySpace account for a decent amount of time before the release of this album, and I was…
4 song demo-2000 Jaw/Plague Records. This Tenneseean band is old school punk at a high speed that also draws heavily from the 70’s metal supergroups. All parts of the Plague are fleshed out quite well, except for the bass, which is on a pitifully low level on the tape. The vocals are top rate, with strong guitar riffs and driving drumbeats. The recording is amazing even with the cassette format…
Starting out with a re-tooling of Howard Jones’ “Everlasting Love†as well as The Police, American Hi-Fi make a retro rock track with a disco beat in “Maybe Won’t Doâ€. Continuing that retro style for “hell Yeah!â€, American Hi-Fi has completely restructured their sound from “Flavour of the Weakâ€, throwing in a little artistic flair from Fine Young Cannibals and Bowling For Soup. Every track on “Hearts on Parade†is…
There seems to be a much heavier consideration of rock on this album than the pedigree of each band member here would necessarily lend itself to. In fact, the disc starts off with “Fraudulent Timesâ€, a song that is really influenced by the shredding guitar of the California punk scenes, eliciting hints of Pennywise and Bad Religion even as the gritty vocals try to establish a different sound. Further songs…
The American Black Lung play a punk meets hardcore type of style. One could almost compare them to acts like Rise Against, although tracks like “A Pair of Cufflinks†would seem much more in the vein of sludge rock than either of the aforementioned genres. What The American Black Lung play is something that is a blend of all hard rock styles, and they put a final coating of pop…
America is an act that had their years of fame well before I was even born. Of course, individuals can still here “A Horse With No Name†on any classic rock radio station. The band is closing in on the forty-year mark, and do not show any hints of age on this recording. The guitar work of these compositions is still crisp and clear. If a band would have lost…
Individuals might be familiar with Ambulance LTD from their 2004 album, which garnered all sort of critical praise as the band did the late night show circuits. This EP is a bridge between the previous disc and the upcoming full length, and gives individuals two completely new songs, some retooled/demo tracks and a Pink Floyd cover to chew on. For those individuals that might not have had the chance to…
Ambivalent plays total circle-punk, spit, shit and blood punk rock that orgasms in a little over a minute and calls it a track. They aren’t crust in anyone’s book, but the screamed-out vocals and brutal guitars will be sure to win over the crusty kids. Bringing back some of the early eighties type of death metal in the form of their guitar riffs and a little more of Matt Freeman…
Amber Pacific had the best EP to come out last year, and they start off where they ended with “Fading Daysâ€. The first track on “The Possibility and the Promiseâ€, “Everything We Were…†looks to a harder set of bands, including Samhain and AFI for its influence, while still maintaining the pop sound that worked so well for them last year. It only takes the space of three minutes to…
Five songs of unbridled fury, Amber Pacific mix the sheer power of Billy Talent and Yellowcard along with the musicianship of A Wilhelm Scream and The Movielife. “Fading Days†starts off with “Thoughts Before Meâ€, a track fueled on by a chord progression on the guitar and Matt’s vocals, which provide a third way between the screeching guitars and the splashy high hat of the drums. In a track that…
“Print is Dead†can’t start any better, with “International Gamers Committee†bordering between a Blink 182 and Good Charlotte influence, at times taking the mantle so convincingly from the former act that it is hard to discern which band is playing the track. Rick’s vocals are more nasal than Tom DeLonge’s (Blink 182), but are backed by a very solid (if not a little simplistic) set of guitars, as well…
Altered State comes up with an interesting style of music during their “Get Realâ€. During the disc’s first track (the title track), there is a blend of ZZ Top like rock with a set of vocals that will remind listeners of a Heart or a Lita Ford. There is definitely a vintage sound to Altered State that will go over large with those individuals that live, breathe, and die the…
The indie style of AlRoy during tracks like “Do You Know What I Mean†shows a more simple time. I hear hints of The Breeders in AlRoy’s vocals. The compositions are simple and allow listeners that might not be that knowledgeable about music to appreciate the track. The vocal-dominant style of “Gorgeous Enormous†might be something that is not that compelling to listeners, but this is not vocal heavy to…
Alone-Alone-3 song demo-rock metal with chunky guitars, and the female vocals are in the vein of Kittie or Scratching Post. The two main parts of this album are the guitars and vocals, as the bass and drums take a back seat to the excellent guitar playing. The same formula that has worked for quite a few bands such as the ones listed above, seems not in the least bit overplayed,…
Splashy drum beats mesh with Tony’s Coldplay-esque vocals. Unlike Coldplay, Aloha makes for themselves a completely innovative sound, using the shuffling beat of “All The Wars†to power forward. “Here Comes Everyone†is wrought on a multitude of different levels; instead of being a straight-forward rock CD, a host of innovative instruments, from vibraphone to harpsichord, and organs litter the soundscape of the CD. The second half of the aforementioned…
The opening “Sympathy For The Junkies†is a challenging track to put right at the front of the CD. Luckily enough, Tetsuro Kitame (the leader of the band) is able to construct interesting guitar lines and arrange them in such a way along with the drums to keep individuals interested for the six-plus minute runtime of the track.