Review / 200 Words Or Less
Ability
Expired

Fineprint (2008) Michael

Ability – Expired cover artwork
Ability – Expired — Fineprint, 2008

Ability is a five-piece hardcore band from the Northern outskirts of Los Angeles. Expired is their debut effort and the 7" features five cuts of solid mid-tempo hardcore. Musically the band mixes together the guitar tones of Bad Brains with the thick rhythm sounds of Burn. "Work of Ages" is a good example of what the band has to offering. The last track, "Swallowed," has kind of a Betrayed meets Inside Out sound to it, but that's probably because Todd Jones wrote the song (he is credited with writing it, which seems rather odd that this is the second band this year I've encountered with this footnote). Overall, this is a good debut that is quite reminiscent of the early Revelation catalog.

7.0 / 10Michael • July 6, 2008

Ability – Expired cover artwork
Ability – Expired — Fineprint, 2008

Recently-posted album reviews

Armor for Sleep

There Is No Memory
Equal Vision (2025)

Armor For Sleep return with an album that treats memory like a weapon. It’s delicate, devastating, and impossible to disarm. For those who may not be as old as me and missed their emergence into the emo/indie scene, the Teaneck, New Jersey band started in 2001. Led by frontman Ben Jorgensen, they dropped gems like Dream to Make Believe (2003) … Read more

Imploders

Targeted For Termination
Neon Taste Records, Static Shock Records (2025)

Back in or around 2007 my buddy Jake invited me to a show, I’m not even sure he told me who was playing or if he did I hadn’t heard of them yet anyway. Turns out it was Toronto’s Career Suicide who were on tour with Regulations from Sweden. Both bands fucking ripped and I still remember being pretty blown … Read more

Imperial Domain

Portentum
Wormhole Death (2025)

Formed in 1995, Imperial Domain cut their teeth in the Swedish death metal underground with early demos before dropping In the Ashes of the Fallen (1998) and The Ordeal (2003). After the 2014 death of original vocalist, Tobias Heideman, Imperial Domain could’ve folded into the past like so many of their era. Instead, they came back swinging. The band returned … Read more