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200 Words Or Less

Masakari

Eden Compromised
Halo of Flies (2009)

After one listen to Eden Compromised, it's not surprising to find that Masakari take their name from a battle-axe used in ancient Japan. The four songs that make up this debut 7" are as destructive as a blow to the skull with such a weapon. "The War Within" is a thundering, metallic slab of meaty riffs and pummeling, chaotic drums. … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Oak & Bone

Oak & Bone
Hex (2009)

Oak and Bone hail from upstate New York, but when you listen to their debut 7" you would definitely not assume that by any guess. While their history is rooted in hardcore punk, the three-piece from Syracuse take a different approach to the style. The 7" opens with "On Your Own or Not at All," which is a sludgy punk/grunge … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Higher Giant

The First Five
Runner Up (2009)

Kid Dynamite. Grey Area. Paint it Black. Lifetime. Warzone. Yeah, these guys were in more than just a few quality bands over the past years. But this is something new, and Higher Giant brings forth their debut 7", a five-song offering of melodic punk. On these five songs the band delves in a melodic punk sound akin to The Bouncing … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Mirrors and Wires

Colourized Audio Transmission
Headcount (2009)

Well. Colourized Audio Transmission from Mirrors and Wires is the most random album that I've received to review thus far this year. Released on Headcount Records - a mostly hardcore/punk label - we get anything but that sort. This 7" EP is a mixture of surf-punk and rock and roll. I really know little of the genre other than Dick … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Zhenia Golov / Botox Party

Split
Railroaded (2009)

Railroaded Records teams up two Eastcoast acts on this limited split 7" release: Zhenia Golov from New Brunswick, New Jersey and Botox Party from Richmond, Virgina. Zhenia Golov return with two new cuts of fast, raw hardcore punk. They've built of their previous 7" release with more fury and it suits them well. I'd like to see what they'd offer … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Adams Dagger

The Ripper
Durty Mick (2009)

Adams Dagger - California by way of Florida. This reminds of the 80's hardcore scene when bands moved from all over to California or New York to make it big. So in a way, this is nostalgic and so is the music. Adams Dagger play an 80's-inspired hardcore punk. The guitars definitely remind me a lot of the first Bad … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Child Bite / This Moment In Black History

Split
Forge Again (2009)

A couple of the rust-belt cities connect themselves through this new split 7" release. Detroit's Child Bite and Cleveland's This Moment in Black History each offer up one brand new song on this vinyl. Child Bite bring forth "Mammal Manners" in just under three minutes. The eccentric five-piece sounds like Secret Chiefs 3 fronted by Fred Schneider. It's bizarre, and … Read more

Drag the River

Bad at Breaking Up
Suburban Home (2009)

"I know I'm not the easiest lover," Drag the River admits in "Jeff Black Song." That honest and simple line over a minimal acoustic track tells you as much as you need to know about Drag the River. The alt-country band started as a side project, grew into a full-time band, and fell apart as band members went in different … Read more

Mike Hale

Lives Like Mine
Suburban Home (2009)

In the Red frontman Mike Hale recently made the decision to be a musician full-time and he's been very busy at work considering that his solo record, Lives Like Mine, was recorded only two weeks after In the Red's second album was released. One would think that the album may have been rushed and the quality of the songs may … Read more

Pelican

Ephemeral
Southern Lord (2009)

I'll be honest. I hadn't really listened to Pelican all that much since City of Echoes was released in 2007. In fact, I think I gave that album two or three plays total; since then their discography has seen limited plays. I really have no logical explanation for my lack of listening. I think the "post-metal" craze got overblown and … Read more

Indian

Slights and Abuse / The Sychophant
Seventh Rule (2008)

"Apocalyptic" is a word thrown around a lot in reviews, to the point where readers could really stop putting any stock in it. But many genres, like black metal, drone, and probably even folk, really do have a few artists deserving of this most serious adjective because of their unnerving atmospheres and epic, timeless approaches. For the doom metal genre, … Read more

GREYMACHINE

Vultures Descend
Hydra Head (2009)

What do you get when you toss members of Jesu, Isis, Godflesh, House of Low Culture, The Lotus Eaters, Mamiffer nevermind ask the same question but change it to Aaron Turner and Justin Broadrick and his compatriots from Jesu (Dave Cochrane and Diarmud Dalton). In case you have yet to hear, GREYMACHINE (yes, all in caps) is the name of … Read more

Swamp Thing

In Shame
6131 (2009)

Rob Gordon's first lines uttered in High Fidelity are What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen … Read more

The Mars Volta

Octahedron
Warner Bros. (2009)

Throughout their eight-year tenure as a band, The Mars Volta has never been timid about doing whatever they please. The collaborative duo that is The Mars Volta - guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala - have tried it all, and yet they continually make it a point to find new ways to express themselves. Full-length album number five, Octahedron, … Read more

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