For those that did not hear The Hope Conspiracy's recent teaser 7" Hang Your Cross (which was later released as a CD and in digital format), now is your chance. Let me just say, WOW! I figured that the new full-length, Death Knows Your Name, would be good (this opinion was solely based off of the quality of said 7"), and it is. I am not sure if the sound benefited from the reintroduction of founding guitarist Neeraj Kane (also of The Suicide File) or if the addition of former American Nightmare/Bars/Give Up the Ghost guitarist Tim Cossar made the impact. Either way, the album is great. Beginning with a quiet guitar piece, "They Know Not" pronounces the album as begun when vocalist Kevin Baker starts wailing. It is a powerful way to open Death Knows Your Name with a slower tempo that feels urgent and impassioned. It gives way to "Deadtown Nothing" which is one of the hold over tracks from the Hang Your Cross 7". The scorching "A Darkness in the Light" comes next with its short bursts of instrumentation that is held down by the vocals. It is over and done very quickly and leaves an impression … Read more
It is an awful shame that so many great indie bands often go unnoticed. As Tall as Lions is the … Read more
Lamb of God and I go back a long way. Their second album, As the Palaces Burn, was the album … Read more
Spanish is a very musical language. It flows naturally with any rhythm and can accentuate the beauty of a melody … Read more
Sound Weave is a collaboration between Theta Naught and poet Alex Caldiero. Combining cello and bass ambiance with occasional drum … Read more
Within hardcore there lies a style of music that has come to known as beatdown. It is an interesting but … Read more
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Hamburg, Germany is a city that is known more for its architecture than it is for its musical output. In fact, if you were to ask anyone about the music of Hamburg, they'd probably start talking about some classical composer from the 1800's and not a hardcore band of today. And while I'm sure they are popular in their native country, it's my guess that Just Went Black is known more in the U.S. than they are in Germany thanks to their previous full-length release on New Age Records. Embracing Emptiness is a six-song 10" from the five-piece group. The album is primarily 90's metallic hardcore with a smattering of progressive-hardcore and various melodious nuances. Cuts like "Withered (A Goodbye)" and "Losing Heart" show similarities to the work of Shai … Read more
I haven't paid much attention to anything that Deep Elm has put out since Emo Diaries Volume #5. I always thought this label's marketing of the term "emo" was cheeky as they pawned off any band that had black-rimmed glasses as the next poster boys for shy teenage girls to adorn their room with. Then I heard a buzz floating … Read more
CAUTION: This review was written by someone who DID NOT agree with the Scene Point Blank reviews of New Found Glory's previous album Catalyst. I am all about New Found Glory's discography, start to finish. With that being said, here is the review. You have been warned! When I was younger and up until I listened to this album, I … Read more
Mastodon is on a major label. Does anyone else think this is weird? Good for them, I just think it is strange. So what do they have to show for themselves with their first record for Warner Brothers? Blood Mountain might be the perfect major label debut, well, at least it is for this band. While it is not one … Read more
Lostprophets: a rock critic's dream? If it's not the glossy pop production and so-hook-laden-you-could-fish-with-them songs, we can go the other way and ridicule their male model good looks, painstakingly straightened haircuts and clothing deals, and apparent desire to appear American to unknowing fans. Of course, here at Scene Point Blank we're above such polarities, opting for the neutral middle ground. … Read more
On their latest effort, Now You are One of Us, The Paper Chase's Congleton tells a story about a family trapped inside a ghostly house that is literally out to get them. And in the end they ultimately become one of them. Southern Records describes the album as "the sonic equivalent to George A. Romero's classic zombie films." That's not … Read more
It seemed as though the robots had short-circuited after their debut release. They toured non-stop for a year or two and then disappeared. Many thought the junk yard was the fate for these robots, but it turns out they were just doing maintenance, upgrading and such. Best friends and the only remaining original members, vocalist, Alex Ebert, and guitarist, Timmy … Read more
Imagine the following scenario: After getting out of work, undoubtedly somewhere shitty such as an office position or a retail job at the mall that, despite the "amazing" discount you claim to get, sucks beyond human comprehension, you arrive at the club that resides just out of the heart of the city closest to you. You hand your ticket to … Read more
Anyone from the United Kingdom that hasn't heard of young Miss Allen has either been living under a stone for the last four months or is at least fifty years old - not saying that fifty year olds haven't heard of her, just they are oooooolld. The daughter of "comedian" Keith Allen and "the newest face of the Myspace generation," … Read more
The Jonbenét Ramsey murder case has weaved its way in and out of our news chomping lives since the latter part of 1998. This was the time when the world was flummoxed and enraptured by the eight-year-old beauty queen's slaying. Lately the case has returned from the abyss again to haunt us with dolled up pictures of a little girl's … Read more
Heavy metal and I have been struggling through a rocky love affair since I was thirteen years old. Aside from a few exceptions, metal in the 21st century has been rather disappointing. The most encouraging thing that I can say about Cataract is that their hearts are definitely in the right place. Kingdom begins with an intro that sounds dangerously … Read more
Blues is a word all too easily thrown around these days; attached to the current clique of US indie bands, "bluesy" has become just another overused adjective used to describe over-hyped bands that don't actually sound all that bluesy. Jawbone, however, a one-man band from Detroit, actually does, mixing those blues up with splashes of punk guitar and garage rock, … Read more
I'll be the first to admit that I often judge a book by its cover the same way I judge a band by their name and cover art. Simply based on these indicators, Death Before Disco did not give me great first impressions. I mean, Death Before Disco; not only is it a terrible name for this bands sound but … Read more
The return of Strike Anywhere seems to be met with mixed emotions by a lot of people, and that's tough for me to understand. While I enjoyed their last proper effort, 2003's Exit English, I know it wasn't their strongest release, but I never expected to hear people claiming this band was past their prime. Past their prime? Already? Yes, … Read more
By now, you probably know exactly what to expect with a Strike Anywhere record, and I mean that in the best possible sense. Unlike Pennywise, still churning out the same tired anthems against "society" and "the government", Strike Anywhere have managed to maintain a furious consistency throughout their surprisingly short career (only seven years), and Dead FM is a good … Read more
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