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Our latest album reviews, featuring the records we've most enjoyed (or not) over the past few weeks.

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Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)

Capital

Homefront
Revelation (2007)

There is presumably no one this side of the Mississippi that is more stoked than me on hearing the latest offering from the Long Island hardcore outfit Capital. Bands like Capital, Thieves and Assassins, Agent, and even Crime in Stereo have made many of us older hardcore fans forget about recent "Strong Island" emo superstars like Taking Back Sunday and Brand New. It's a consistent breath of fresh air to see bands that are in the hardcore scene that actually want to make music that only wants to be admired for what it is without forgetting its roots. Homefront is thirteen quality blasts of pissed off herky-jerky hardcore that is fueled by frontman Tommy Corrigan's vicious tongue in cheerless diatribes that lambaste everything from plastic surgery to this endless war in Iraq to the American Way. Corrigan is at his vehemently best with tracks like "Mosh Parts" where he once again tears the recent raise of soulless hardcore bands a new asshole. It's a sentiment that seems to ring even more true as we see an endless parade of child rock stars that preen and pout under a false disguise of them supporting the scene as they eye Warped Tour … Read more

Black Moth Super Rainbow

Dandelion Gum
Graveface (2007)

Making themselves known to a national audience by opening for The Flaming Lips and already slated as an opener for … Read more

J Church

The Horror of Life
No Idea (2007)

With the passing of Lance Hahn, the fragile punk continuum lost one of its all-time greats. Smart, critical, and relentlessly … Read more

Antlers

Antlers
Rorschach (2007)

While taking a risk at such a lofty statement, Antlers is the reason to keep listening to independent music. Not … Read more

Ramones

It's Alive 1974-1996
Rhino (2007)

The Ramones are finished. Over. Unlike their peers from the 1970's, there will be no reunion tours. Joey, Johnny and … Read more

Prideswallower

Lifeswallower
Auxiliary (2007)

Anyone educated in the Louisville family tree of hardcore punk bands - Coliseum, Breather Resist, Young Widows, Black Cross, etc … Read more

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One from the archives

Agoraphobic Nosebleed

Agorapocalypse
Relapse (2009)

The background of this band shouldn't need explaining - if you're at all tuned in to the world of grindcore and other extreme music styles, you've probably already heard Agoraphobic Nosebleed. If you haven't, just imagine the most obnoxious and abrasive mixture of lyrical obscenity and overdriven drum machine lunacy you can fathom, and that should suffice for now. The band's newest release, Agorapocalypse, demonstrates a fairly significant departure from that trademark sound. It's still fast and brutal, but the drumming speeds are much more modest and the tracks actually feature coherent song structures. The cybergrind tag often assigned to ANb might not really work for this album. Even The Poacher Diaries, one of the few instances of ANb sounding like a somewhat conventional band, is more raw and abrasive … Read more

More album reviews

200 Words Or Less

Skeletonwitch

Beyond the Permafrost
Prosthetic (2007)

Skeletonwitch is the latest band from Ohio to make it to the big-time. These five dudes sport some silly names - Nate "N8 Feet Under" Garnette and Derrick "Mullet Chad" Nau for example - but the jokes end when they pick up their instruments. Beyond the Permafrost is twelve tracks of metal that'll give even the most experienced Hessian a … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Dirty Money

No Escaping This
Dead & Gone (2007)

Dirty Money is one of the latest upstarts to emerge from the U.K. scene and take hardcore by storm. Dirty Money set forth a furious attack of fast-paced hardcore that draws great influence from the New York scene. No Escaping This features four new songs, all of which blend together the classic NYHC sound with flairs of metal and crossover … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Deal With It

World Coming Down
Dead & Gone (2007)

Deal With It is the latest hardcore export from the U.K. This five-piece group of fellas churn out five brand new songs on World Coming Down. And with the CD version you are gifted with the band's demo recording from last year. World Coming Down is a high-octane blast of meaty hardcore that draws influence from the classic New York … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Show No Mercy

Death is My Religion
Hand of Death (2007)

Show No Mercy hail from Maryland and deliver seven tracks of crossover/thrash/metallic hardcore over the course of Death is My Religion. Musically, the band shows an obvious homage to their namesake, Slayer, with blazing riffs that call to mind the early Bay Area thrash scene. Show No Mercy also mix in some nice mid-90's hardcore grooves and even a solo … Read more

The Black Dahlia Murder

Nocturnal
Metal Blade (2007)

I cannot think of another record label that could have released The Black Dahlia Murder's new full-length Nocturnal. Sure, any number of labels could have released it financially, but it just would have seemed out of place. This is a metal album from start to finish, so it only makes sense for it to be released by the label that … Read more

UGK

Underground Kingz
Jive (2007)

It's not easy being a Southern rapper these days. With the airwaves of mainstream radio becoming overcrowded with the "ringtone rap" of such groups as D4L and Dem Franchize Boyz, backpackers and hip-hop purists are quick to point the finger at nearly every rapper south of the Mason-Dixon Line. I guess they forgot about UGK? They've only been in the … Read more

Akimbo

Navigating the Bronze
Alternative Tentacles (2007)

Navigating the Bronze is Akimbo's fifth full-length since their inception in about seven years ago and their first for new label Alternative Tentacles (AT did re-release an album early in '07 as well). This three-piece is a vicious outfit that has garnered a reputation for their busy touring regimen and all around hectic work ethic. At ten songs in roughly … Read more

Fueled by Fire

Spread the Fire
Metal Blade (2007)

Let's not beat around the bush. Despite a valiant effort at bringing thrash back to the masses, Fueled by Fire just aren't the ones to do the job. It's a tall order - there'll always be the diehards (mostly in their late thirties) that will buy pretty much anything remotely thrash related. This album is for them. The albums that … Read more

Anchor

Captivity Songs
Refoundation (2007)

One thing that I love about hardcore bands from the 80's and 90's is that they often included background info on the songs' lyrics. Perhaps this is because the music then seemed to be fueled more by the substance of its words as opposed to how the music sounded - this fact can be argued to death and I have … Read more

A Second from the Surface

The Streets Have Eyes
This Dark Reign (2007)

There's been a lot of words used to describe Minneapolis' A Second from the Surface: metalcore, grindcore, crustcore. All of them are very specific genres, but not one of them is accurate. A Second from the Surface are hardcore, plain and simple. More on the old school side than the "hardcore" that we see nowadays on every Warped Tour. As … Read more

Chiodos

Bone Palace Ballet
Equal Vision (2007)

Before we begin, a short caveat: a little more than six years ago, when first throwing myself into the world of hardcore and post-anything, I was a fan of some terrible music. My CD and t-shirt collection was almost an homage to Trustkill Records. And for a time, I actually thought listening to Coheed and Cambria excessively might change my … Read more

Living Hell

The Lost and the Damned
Revelation (2007)

Revelation Records has made quite the turn-around in the past two years. Besides mainstay Shai Hulud, the once hardcore-proud label has returned to its roots following a divergence in the indie-rock realm - Elliot, Christiansen, Since By Man, etc. The label has recently released several top-quality hardcore albums: Shook Ones, Down to Nothing, and Sinking Ships. Living Hell's debut full-length, … Read more

Empire! Empire! (I was a Lonely Estate)

When the Sea Became a Giant
Independent (2007)

The key word that comes to mind when listening to When the Sea Became a Giant is light. Everything is light. The vocal delivery is a deep reminder of the roots of emo, where a different kind of melancholy built its empire (no pun intended, I lied, yes it was). The guitars let off an air of innocent intensity. The … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Zweizz

The Yawn of a New Age
Vendlus (2007)

I figured I'd be in for some weird and different sounding metal with Zweizz when I first looked at the cover of The Yawn Of A New Age, which is just a black metal-looking logo .in pink. Zweizz, real name Svein Egil Hatlevik, was also a member of Dodheimsgard, a rather off-beat, avant-garde black metal band from Norway, so that … Read more

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Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)