The Casket Lottery : " Feel the Teeth"

This band's 6th full-length shows they still understand the tension from their hard-core toots as they apply it to moody rock n roll. I like how the vocals are produced, as it gives them a slightly darker feel. There is more of a pop-punk shout when the dynamics build, which brings to mind bands like Thrice. This has a very early 2000s feel. I do appreciate how it takes us back to a place where melody and hooky songwriting were important. They often employ a punk urgency even when strumming chords with more melodic intentions, and allow the vocals to fall into a more relaxed juxtaposition with the urgent energy possessing the guitars. 

 They drift further into indie rock on songs like "Bell Penny" as things slow to a steady contemplative strum. "Diamond" moves more like the brand of "emo" that evolved from poppier strains of punk. The syncopation of "From Now to Now" is a little more interesting as it makes the vocals fall differently. The accents are jagged, feel subtly more aggressive without racing off into a frantic punk exploion, though it does build into a more screamo section. "Nothing Certain" is pretty effective; the bass makes things heavier, but there is little in the way of metal influence, though it does head in a more brooding direction. 

There is a more rock groove to "Shelly". that reminds me a little of Quicksand. "On the Wind" is more of a ballad. This band's bass player is really on point when it comes to laying a solid foundation for the song. It creates almost a late '90s feel here. There is more of a lurking tension to the last song that finds the mood getting darker and heavier, but more intensely, think Tool rather than metal in this regard. It makes sense as the song is called "Snake Dreams," so it should have a more winding slither. I will give this album a 9, if you are a fan of late 90s post-hardcore, then this deserves a listen. 

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Idle Heirs : "Life is Violence"

 Sean Ingram of Coalesce has not made any music for at least a decade, so fans of Coalesce should be thankful to have this, as it touches on many of the same sonic aspects of that band. Perhaps more melodic and less jarring, we hear more of Ingram's singing voice here. Josh Barber who is partnering with Ingram here, understands where he is coming from musically, so it works. Things get more ominous as "Rare Bird" builds. The more hardcore snarls play a more prominent role in "Jaded Mountain." I appreciate how dynamic this song is. There is a pulsing groove that holds a tension you can bob your head to. 

The strum of guitar leading into "Lemonade Stands" highlights that this music was birthed from the era of hardcore that what we think of as emo emerged from. Ingram counterbalances the melodic strum with a throaty bellow. The guitar swells into a more post-rock sonic space, which shows the place where this intersected with screamo, which is another sub-genre that emerged from this era of hard-core. "Dim Shepard" works of the slow build of the more emotional scope, bordering on a shoe-gazing brand of indie-rock when Ingram is not howling things to a climax.

"Pillow Talk" finds things taking on more of a weighty sludge stomp. It also feels like the album's darkest moment so far. "Dead Ringer" comes closer to where modern rock is now, with a slight hint of Tool lurking in the vocal melody. "Momma" is a ballad that closes the album. It's not Coalesce but it is the closest we are getting right now, and the maturation of songwriting is the next logical step, I will give this album a 9.5, it's a must for fans of the band.

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Sons of Alpha Centauri : "Pull"

 

As much as I love Jonah Mantranga, I lost track of his work after Far. I need to catch up and I will start with this album. He formed this band with the drummer from Will Haven. They are very Deftones-like with lighter vocals moaning over the lower grooves lurking around them. I had to go back and give this album another listen to fully soak it in as my first pass-through was clouded by my expectations of what I wanted from Jonah based on Far. On this second listen I found he does really deliver on the first song. However, "Ease" feels like he is uncertain if he should commit to what he normally does when playing music with a lower-tuned harder-driving guitar. 

"Pull" feels like it's more of a middle ground between the two options he was sorting through while plotting out the vocals for the second song. He gets even more comfortable on "The Ways We Were". It is interesting hearing this dynamic, as he is one of the best rock singers to come from this era, so to hear him on a footing that is not as sure of itself, creates a more vulnerable performance. I appreciate the more balladic drone of "Tetanus Blades", but there are plenty of shoe gaze bands that execute it better. "Doomed" finds him closer to the mic, and able to weave a more effective melody with his voice. finds 

"Weakening Pulse" finds the heft of the guitar complimenting his vocals. One of the album's first distinctive rock riffs if on "Final Voyage' which gives him more to work with. The album closes with "Unspeakable Melody' which finds another big guitar riff chugging along, though, Jonah is not locked in with it in the same manner as the previous song.  I will give this album a 9, making it better than most hard rock albums with such a compelling emotional side, but still falls short of what he did with Far. Exile on Mainstream drops this album for them March 28th . s 

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Adzes : "Inver"

This New Zealand based projects finds coarse vocals gasping for their last breath over a post-hardcore that would otherwise not be far removed from bands like Failure. It sounds like the end result is due to the guy just not being able to sing and settling on this vocal presentation. The second song proves that my assumption was not far off as when he does try to sing it's weak and rather pitchy. I think with the help of a power producer they might have been able to work around this. "Abyss Watchers" finds a return to the harsher vocals that once again provide a contrast to the more grungy angular jangle of the guitars. 

"Rainhammer' comes down with more of a grunge-infused rock clamor with graceful flourished of melodic guitar work layered in. When this occurs it is clearly the project's best moment. This time around the vocals are spoken rather than sung. The thick burly bass line of "Antipode" is not unlike what we have heard from bands like Helmet or the Melvins. The vocals are more of a tense whisper going into the song. It's almost as if Agalloch was not a black metal band but a grunge-era band.  They way the vocals somewhat shift as the dynamics build supports this comparison. 

The more deliberate title track drones against the steady pulse that proves effective.The song after this feels like meandering black metal with shoe-gazing leanings, which is not out of left field and we have heard it done better.  Then it is not until the last song that he really delivers. The vocals here are much better than any other vocal performance on the album. This makes the harsher vocals work better. The bass playing on this album continues to impress. Overall I will give this album an 8, needs better production and more coaching vocally, but they are onto something that works. 

Narrow Head : "Moments of Clarity"

 On "12th House Rock" the Texas band busted out some post-hard core with an emotive underpinning. Not unlike Hum or Helmet if those bands were really into their feelings. Now the glaze of shoegaze coats the songs. The vocals are more introspective. The title track has a harder syncopated jangle, as they remind you, they did not leave their distortion pedals at home. The vocal lines pack a hookier punch hookier, as their song writing has been sharpened this time around. They use a similar formula, but with more dynamic ebb and flow on "Sunday". This also brings with it more of a grunge feel, as the soft to loud trademark of the 90s is carried over here. On my second listen this grew on me more.

"Trepanation" has more of a Deftones thing going on, as it gets moody and creeps around with more introspective vocals. They wear their influences on their sleeves here with the androgynous croon that mirrors Smashing Pumpkins on "Break Up Song". So, all the pre-emo bands are represented here. This still works as they switch things up enough to weave their own identity from this quilt of band tees. Their core audience is also young enough to have missed this sort of thing the first time around. "Fine Day" felt more like a continuation of the previous song. It works for what they are doing, though I am less wow'ed than I was for some the previous songs. 

The album begins to coast from here. "Caroline" works fine, but not what they kids call a slapper. There are more woozy dream pop sounds enveloping "the World" . It breezes by, but the crunchier punch of "Gearhead' makes for a better contrast. Don't remember them digging into the crunchy Deftones vibe last time around. The groove further down this path with "Flesh & Solitude" which is fine with me. They have more anguished vocals in the background. Unlike Chino their singer does not do both. "the  Comedown" is more like the Smashing Pumpkin's version of a power ballad, but with less pop leanings. "Soft to Touch" flirts with Deftones like vibes in another way as it blends electronic beats with the deliberate guitar brooding behind them. While it leans heavily on their influences this album is a step forward as songwriters and even better than the last one so I will give it a 9.5, and see how it grows on me.

Pierce the Veil : 'the Jaws of Life"

 

This is a band I only know from the Punk Goes Pop series of tribute albums. Much like that series they strike me as being more on the pop side of the equation. Now five albums later the band has continued to shine their songwriting formula to create something that is catchier than it has any right to be. Having come on the scene at the end of the Myspace era, there is still that torch burning that they carry. Singer Vic Fuentes, has tenor voice that sounds like he is in high school. It is impressive that he has kept this youth vigor now that he is almost forty.  If Justin Beiber made metal the results might be similar. Which is better than it sounds on paper. "Even When I'm Not With You" has a really strong melody. The rest of the band knows to stay out of the way and let him do his thing. 

The riff to "Emergency Contact" feels almost like a Weezer song. Sonically they are also not far from My Chemical Romance's less grandiose moments. The emotional pleading of Fuentes sometimes has an androgynous desperation in it's timbre that makes me think of Placebo. "Flawless Execution" finds his voice squeaking a little higher. Normally this sort of thing would be too happy for me, but they make it work. The bass line is pretty cool to this one. The drummer from 3rd Eye Blind plays on this album, which it does feel like that until the title track, which is the first song that has a more 90s alt pop feel to the drumming. Produced by Mutemath's singer, this album sounds great. The title track is also the first song that did not feel like it lived up to what the first half of the album did, though it does not suck either.

"Damn the Man, Save the Empire" has a playful groove that works for what they do and lays the ground work for their singer to shine which is the most important they have going . Subject wise I think this album finds them getting morbidly reflective which might give the song's a slightly darker feel, that might factor in to why it resonates more with me. "Resilience" is more reflected, but lends it self to melody. They dip into Joji like pop with "Shared Trauma".  Could this become a Tiktok ear worm for that generation? Sure. It's not my favorite song on the album, but it works well for what they are doing. "So Far So Fake" is moodier. It took a second listen to digest it . The chorus is happier than expected perhaps like Silversun Pickups in this regard. "Fractures' minds me of the best things about having pop music cross over into emo and emo crossing into pop. I will round  this album up to a 10 as the smart song writing , and emotionally vulnerable singing makes a great combination for those who like the emphasis on pop melodies when it comes to rock music. 

Bleed : "Somebody's Closer

 This is not the first time it felt like we were cycling into a retro 90s come back, This Texas band helped solidify this hunch. They have a very hard alt rock sound, to be more precision, the kind Helmet fined tuned in order to get radio play. There is enough crunch and edge to it to appeal to someone like me, who normally listens to things on the harder side. This is tempered with melody and hook, without the blatant nod in the pop direction that modern bands do. These guys are not the first band I heard to pull from this sort of thing. I am crossing paths with it more frequently these days. 

The second song has a fair amount of groove, while colliding the chords in a way that allows the vocals to gain a more shouted heft to them that is way more Helmet. But if these guys were merely a Helmet tribute band I would find myself instead clicking back into my computer to find what file those albums are in rather than giving this repeat listens to fully digest. With the 90s there also came nu-metal and some of the groove have that kind of bounce to it though more fluid and devoid of any and all traces of hip hop. "enervation" has more of a Deftones feel to it , with a more soaring sonic atmosphere, and room for the vocals to hover over the the guitars. 

The title track closes out the album.  They staples the built the other songs around, like melodically dead pan vocals and staccato guitar riffs are all in place. However none of it captures the magic like the first three songs. Not that this is a bad song. It has more energy than every other song except the opener and a cool melodic break. Aside from that I just do not connect with it like the other songs. While I am interested in what they might have done on a full length album, more songs means more chances for this formula to grow stale, so that remains to be seen. I will round this down to a 9 and see how it sits with me, but 9 is better than mpost which is impressive consuidering how this band wears its influences on their sleeves while managing to make this work.    

2,9   

Drug Church - " Tawny"

 

The four songs on the Albany band's new album are a logical progression from where they left off with 2018's 'Cheer" album. All the things that worked best on "Cheer' are in play here. Where the opener has a more slacker 90s post hardcore sound they are angrier and more driving on the the title track that follow. The production has the same organic rawness and warmth that bands like Jawbreaker once held. +On the first song this finds them expanding into a more post-punk sound with reverb heavy guitars. This dialing back of distortion, opens up room for the vocals sing a little more. Not to say there is not a Hotwatermusic like rasp even in the most melodic moments. I remember getting stoned in 1999 recognizing the cross road where emo and post-punk met and I can hear it now hear very sober. 

 There is even a reckless explosiveness on the chorus that feels a little more like the Pixies, so the smarter side of the 90s indie post whatever . The vocals sound more confident and like he quit smoking as a they are a half step higher than the previous album. Perhaps a greater deal of credit goes to how this album was mixed. The drumming is crisper and the guitar seems to always sit where it needs to. I am listening to this album on repeat and not hearing anything that sets off my critical mind. I was already a fan from the last album, these guys have just spent time dialing everything in and it has paid off big. This is the kind of progress all bands should be making. They need to take note as the changes here have not taken away from the signature of what made this band great even  in the album's most experimental moments. 

They are angrier on "Bliss Out", but it is still very hooky in the syncopation. It is almost Helmet like in the punch it packs. Then the Pixies come to mind again with how the vocals are layered against the bass of " Remember to Forget", it feels kinda like "Debaser" , perhaps not as angry. I will give this album a 10 as my only regret is that there is not more of it and I am going to have to make do with these four songs hopefully for not three years to get a new one , but whatever it takes as long as there is more coming.    

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Stay Inside : " Viewing"

Emo became a dirty word during the days of Myspace. It was more fashion than function. Yeah I am looking at you Taking Back Sunday. It originally meant emotional hard core. Yeah, anger is an emotion, but bands like Rites of Spring opened the door for more introspection. This lead to bands like Sunny Day Real Estate. Then it evolved into screamo, which is now seeing a return to the more classic sound. This band go the memo. They have not forgotten about the genre's hard core roots, but are not beating you over the head with them. There is a lot going on here. These guys have the uncanny ability to weave hypnotic melodies together and jerk you around with angular math rock riffs. It's also dark and brooding. They are hitting all the notes I could want a band like this to touch on. They also nailed all the tones needed to create this. They have the sound and the songs. A rarity I know. Lyrically there is depth... I mean anything on the wish list is here.

Bands like Sunny Day, were not without catchy hooks , these guys packed those as well. The main vocal going into this a timidly sung males vocal. Then their female bass player joins in with her sugary vocals. The sung male vocal is more confident and smoother on the second song. The other guitarist brings the screaming. They have an explosives post hard core chaos in these moments. Chris the lead singer shows he can put some balls into his singing voice on this one as well. The multi textured colors of vocals plays into the strength of what this album is capable of. "Ivy" finds them keeping a similar balance of intensity that they did in the second song and it's not getting stale here. Byrn leads in with her vocals on "Monuments". The song has a great deal of drive with melodies weaving around them to create a balancing atmosphere. A more loud to soft dynamic is used on "Silt".  The bombastic dissonance bookends the melodic section, before it returns to soar out of the storm.

The atmosphere of "Divide" makes the song almost intangible if it was not for the drums. This makes it feel like more of an instrumental interlude than the other songs. When the vocals do come in it is closer to the end of the song. You can not say these guys are tied down to a formula when it comes to song writing. It's more like something the Gloria Record might do. They use more concrete hooks to anchor "Wake" . It is pretty much a flawless song. They are prefect more often than not. The stunning production quality of this album and it's cinematic mix helps it shine even more. "Veil has a more spastic feel to it's catharsis. This carries over into the more aggressive "Verdict" that also returns to their more melodic side. The last sound reminds me of Brand New, not a ballad but heading in that direction. I will give this on a 9.5  This album came out in April. I am glad I got to catch up on it. If your are into this kind of post -hard core I would implore you to do the same, so this is not the best album you did not here this year.

the Refused :'War Music"

If you do not know who this Swedish post- hard core band is then why did you click on this god damn review? This feels like a much closer return to the band who once showed the shape of punk to come. The opening track is stronger than the more straight forward "Violent  Reaction" . The album before this one had scarce traces of hard core while this ones more firmly rooted in it. I am fine with having melodic hooks in fact I prefer if so " I Wanna Watch the World Burn" works really well for me. "Blood Red " is more aggressive.I guess the weird thing is when they came out they were  ahead of their time now they sound like the status quo they helped established. So much so a song like "Malfire" almost sounds like Papa Roach. Despite this fact it is a pretty cool song.

"Turn the Cross"  is more metallic and aggressive, but this doesn't equate being one of the more inspired songs."Damaged III" has a staccato groove to it, but doesn't feel like it is breaking a great deal of new ground but reaffirms what they already do well. There is more rock n roll to "Death In Vannas".Some of these moments bring Boy Sets Fire to mind. "the Infamous Left" is more straight forward and hard core tinged with darker moments. The breaks downs feel obligatory and not really that much a of a dynamic shift. While it starts off in a much more straight forward punk direction the song ends up in some pretty cool places .

I will give this album a 9, though  it might still need some time to grow on. I think I am most impressed how it is a more aggressive return to their hard core sound. It of course does not touch "Shape of Punk to Come" but how many album really can come in and change the game like that. If you have been on the fence about their more recent efforts I think this album can win you over. This album comes out on October 18th on Spine farm Records.

Hot Water Music : "Light It Up"

This Florida band has returned, one of the staples of the post-hardcore scene that once got referred to as emo when it was about emotion rather than hair cuts. Their new album find the band back with a stronger sense of melody and song writing than I remember them leaving off with. Their singer's husky voice reaches further than before. They are not as aggressive but it is a fair trade off in terms of maturation. It's when they really speed things up into a punk place on the title track that they lose me. "Show Your Face" returns to the more melodic sense of emotion injected into a brand of punk that leans more into the rock side of the equation. This means a strong chorus that is more likely to get stuck in your head. "Never Going Back" feels more like a punk version of Bruce Springsteen. With that said it also equates with finely tuned songwriting and thoughtful lyrics.

The rambling almost Americana take on punk rolls on with it's very organic lyrical sensibility. Here it begins to retread some of the ground it feels like they have already covered and finds this formula beginning to wear thin on me as they no longer have the darker sense of desperation that used to ride the underbelly of their sound back in the day. They come closer to touching on this with "Sympathizer" , but turn around and lose me again with the more Ramones like punk of "Vultures". While they don't suck at this kind of punk, I don't think it's truest to who they are as a band. "Bury Your Idols" finds them splitting the difference and bringing a more familiar melodic side to the punk energy. It's not until "Overload" that I begin to hear a New Model Army influence that must have been their all these years but I never gave any thought to until now.

The Bruce Springsteen thing returns to a greater extent on "High Class Catastrophe" . But this is fine with me as is it is one of the album's more passionately sung songs."Hold Out" is melodic punk filler, the chorus is strong but kind breezes past without really sticking to me. With these guys it's all about the feeling from the vocal and they sell me more on that during this album's more rock n roll moments like the closing anthem "Take You Away" which is what the Boss would sound like if he went up to 11. Speaking of numbers I'll give this album an 8, mainly due to the fact some of the more brisk punk numbers just don't make me a believer. Fans of the band might be more forgiving, I used to like this guys but haven't listened to them in 18 years.

Departures " Death Touches Us From the Moment We Begin to Love"

Being that this is an emotional screamo band there are the shared dynamics with in the genre also occupied by Touche Amore, whose album "Stage Four " I also reviewed today. These guys have a less upbeat sound. The guitars ache and do not jangle along. There is an angrier grit to the screamed vocals. The guitars sound stunning. There is a great deal of depth. "Waiting" and "Broken" bleed together almost as one song. A similar thing happens with the post -rockish interlude that is "Set Adrift". "Death of Youth" has the melodic guitar carrying the weight of the song as the screamed vocal begins to sound like all the other screamed songs on this album. The band does elevate the vocals by locking in around them.

"Lost" really doesn't do much to distinguish it self from the other songs on this album. The lyrics stand out at little more on this song and give it a little more weight. "1994" finds the guitars digging deeper to provide a more expansive range of sound. They return to the more post-rock influences we have heard at other points in this album. "Memorial" really doesn't do anything that we have not heard already, at this point on this album. The song does swell up really powerfully to almost make you believe in the emotions they seem to be pouring into this.

This album works when the guitar is at it's most moving. The vocals are not as strong as those that were on the Touche Amore album, because as a whole we get the same vocal color all the way through on this album which keeps me from rounding it up past an 8.5, since vocals are one of the most important aspects of music to me. If you are a fan of these guys and prefer more scream than emo in the equation then this album might connect with you more than it did me, though I found it to be a very entertaining listen.



7.8

 

Thraenenkind "King Apathy"

This band features members of Heretoir, so for some reason they get pegged as being post-rock, post-punk, but it feels like crusty metal to me so I am a little confused. Sure there is some atmosphere to it. The bass player is on point. The title track is straight up metal with little need to try and dress it up with other sub-genres, though it's obvious these guys influences hail from the days of Myspace. Unlike Heretoir I would not call them gaze anything either. They do go from a mid-paced emo like riff into black metal, but that is really as close as they come to that whole thing. While this album is heavier and more metal than Heretoir, it doesn't pull me in as quickly.The throaty vocals feel like this is a more metal version of Hotwatermusic or Coalesce. So post- hardcore is a more fitting sub-genre than post-whatever else. Given the organic feel of this music I am not surprised that these guys are straight edge vegan anarchists . Once upon a time it was more surprising to find some one in the hardcore scene who wasn't.

The song "Urban Giants " hammers ahead more like hard-core and has some catchy punches to it, but it came across like an extension of the previous song to me. The well blended  melodic nature of what they do, never feels strained against the heavier dynamics . The fact the songs are screamed rather than sung, does give them a slight monochrome feel by the time you get mid-way into the album.  They pull out some blast beats for a few seconds on "the Blood On Our Hands". If the lyrics are really preachy then I am glad these songs are screamed, because I don't care about their goody two shoes post-modern hippy ways. They songs are concise and these guys jam a range of dynamics into the five minutes or less they spend wisely rocking you out. These guys put some genuine emotion into what they do so I have mad respect for that even though our world views might differ. They come closest to a more Deafheaven like version of shoe gaze on " Smokestacks and Concrete Walls". It's the first time this comparison really strikes me, and like ostriches metal heads can put their head in the sand when it comes to the self awareness of bands and the bandwagons they jump upon. However I would not pigeon hole these guys are a band that wishes they were Deafheaven.

They ease into "Vanishing Youth" and show a surprising amount of restraint as I am waiting for the blast beats to come in at any minute, this also has me re-thinking the shoe-gaze. The subtle under current of double bass gives a gradual build. When it hits the three minute mark I am surprised that they have not blown their wad yet. When they do it's more of a hard core like explosion, though they eventually find their way into the blasting. They gave in, but not in the most obvious or formulaic manner, so they get props for the arrangements. They close strong with "Homeruiner" which is pounded home with deliberate authority and resists taking the easy way out and running to the safety of being able to blast their way out of the song. I'll give this album a 9, I am not desperate to get it onto my iPod , but really enjoyed listening to it and giving serious consideration to downloading it.The vocals are the only weak spot and even then they work better than most bands who resort to that kind of thing.

Serial Hawk : "Searching For Light"

With the heavy legacy of grunge haunting their homestead, this Seattle takes an approach more akin to the Melvins and Tad than any of their flannel clad forefathers. The vocals are forced out in a throaty shout, with the guitars being the focus of more melody. The bass and drums work together as a punishing unit with machine like precision. They are oppressive like sludge rather than invoking the morbid sense of loss of doom. The pace lumbers with the liberate stomp of a juggernaut. They are heavy, but not weighed down with the typical trappings of metal. The chords are driven home rather than chugged. The vocals drop down into a hushed baritone that is almost at a whisper for "Lying in Wait" before locking in with the guitar for a Helmet like bark.While their sound has a similar blood line to many of the more forward thinking bands in the later half of the 90s who were thinking man's metal like Helmet, Neurosis, Unsane and Fudge Tunnel, they very much have their own thing going on that fits in with the current musical climate.

"Of Decay" starts off as a more pounding bull-dozer of post-hardcore angst hammered at you for the first couple of minutes before they relax and let the song breathe. The vocals bellow out a little while longer before the aggression yields to the shift in guitar tone. It is moments like these where the band shines, I noticed this on the first song when they uses cleaner and more effected guitar tones that still held and organic warmth to the atmosphere. The album closes with a sprawling 17 minute title track. I have kind of had it with the whole over ten minute thing, so these guys are going to have to bring their a- game to win me over. Hesitant clean guitar tones ebb through the first three minutes before the drums come in. The vocals come in first at a low whisper before building into the more shouted delivery. He allows his voice to crack into a coarse tone , but I would not call it growling or screaming. They coast on a throbbing groove with the vocals offering somewhat of a call and response as the guitar melody builds off slow picked distorted solo. Its almost nine minutes in until I click over to see how far along we are into this. So they distracted me for more than half way through this winding epic. The guitar is still pretty interesting at this point as every thing breaks down for this clean toned almost jazz like guitar interlude. There is a slight jammy quality here and I bet these guys can have some fun with these kind of moments on stage. The song is barely held together by the bass and then they bust back in with syncopated punches.

 I'll round this one up to a 9, the longer song did manage to hold my attention, the drill Sargent cadence to the vocals is not always my favorite approach , but over all I think these guys captured what they do best in the studio and look forward to hearing where they go from here. These guys are just as good as anything else along these lines I have heard from bands backed by records labels so someone is really losing out on a ton of potential until these guys are picked up, I guess for what ever a record label is worth these days if anything.

Coliseum: "Anxiety's Kiss"

On the Kentucky band's first full length for Deathwish, the band takes another step away from being a metal band Owing more to Gang of Four than any metal band on this one. The songs tend to have a jerky angular bounce to them. The riff are more streamlined. Not unlike the new Ceremony this proved to be another album that took a few listens through before I could formulate a proper opinion. The bass tone is pretty tough. On the first listen through it took me until I was half way through the album to hear that two of their biggest influences on this album are Killing Joke and New Model Army. Those are also two of my favorite bands, so many of these sounds are bound to be pleasing to my ears, unless I really begin to flip through the mental rolodex to decide who which parts remind me of and really dissect this album. So how important is originality is a question I will be asking myself this run through. Though very Killing Joke , one of the album's most aggressive moments is on "Course Correction". In his more metal moments Patterson's vocals remind me of Oderus from Gwar. The "Girl U Want" groove to "Wrong Goodbye" is one of the albums most original moments when set against the lower vocals.


They have a more New Model Army sound on "Drums' and Amplifiers" where the vocal melody sounds like it could have been lifted off the bands more recent work. This is one of the albums more punk moments. The New Model Army comparisons continue into " Dark Light of Seduction". The drumming really moves this song in way that saves it from dragging. They run the line that New Model Army does where they flirt with a more rock n roll styled form of post-punk that closer to something Bob Mould would do. The guitar of "Sharp Fangs, Pale Flesh" hits some pretty sonically sweet spot and the dark edge they skirt along has some nice emotional shading. There is a Cure like guitar tone to "Sunlight In a Snowstorm".The more burly vocals sound more Killing Joke on "Comedown". The delivery of the plaintive baritone vocals are one of the prim culprits that continues to earn the New Model Army comparisons. There are some darker moments like the beginning of "Driver at Dusk" which finds his voice dropping down into an almost Nick Cave register, the song simmers but doesn't really go anywhere and instead feels more like an interlude. What could have been one of the more sonically driven songs 'Escape Yr Skull" closes out the album. The vocals are a more relaxed baritone, almost relaxed to the point of War on Drugs, but the guitar keeps things interesting though the rest of the band feels like they are playing against where they chords want to go.

I think they are headed in the right direction. There are some cool sounds collected here. This album feels like it is a transitional phase for the band and with that comes a certain awkwardness at times. I'll go ahead and give this one a 7.5 , if you are a fan of the band and open to their evolving sound then around it up another whole point.