Panic
Circles
Reflections (2006)
In hardcore's early '80s halcyon days, the EP became the coin of the realm: a handful of songs, often over before you had a chance to sit down. Many great bands never even recorded full-lengths - a phenomenon that's a lot less common today though by no means extinct. Maybe if Panic hadn't broken up in 2002, they would have recorded an LP by now, but on the other hand there's something endearing about a band in no hurry to put one out. In 2006, Panic lives and has released a new EP, entitled Circles. Panic makes the kind of noise often described by lazy reviewers as lacking frills and maybe being "no bullshit." What usually follows is a comparison to some great band now tokenized as an easy point of comparison, Negative Approach being the perennial favorite. While this description holds some truth, it leaves out the whole story. Panic has proven to be more than just another old-school styled hardcore band, and they impress that fact on you with Circles. They have a nervous urgency akin to their early '80s godfathers, but also a unique ferocity that clearly marks them as contemporary. On Circles they do nothing if … Read more
Casey Jones
The Messenger
Eulogy (2006)
Casey Jones, for those not in the know, is an unapologetically straightedge hardcore band. Originally a side project of Evergreen … Read more
Peeping Tom
Peeping Tom
Ipecac (2006)
It's been a long wait for the debut album of Mike Patton's Peeping Tom project. About six years to be … Read more
Ampere / Sinaloa
Split
Ebullition (2006)
No bullshit, no posing. Just two of the best bands in the DIY hardcore scene releasing a split together. Nearly … Read more
