Hangedup
Clatter for Control
Constellation (2005)
Every so often an album seems to come out of nowhere and totally blindsides you. This is one of those albums. I initially put this on with little knowledge about it other than the fact it was released by Constellation Records (home of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, A Silver Mt Zion, Fly Pan Am etc.) Within a matter of seconds … Read more
Hank Jones
Saturdays of Thunder
Undecided (2005)
An album cover with a skull, blood streaks and three fingers makes the viewer think of death, violence, periods and the very impolite action of pointing. In the hardcore scene this is all very cliché, although the fingers are a territory not plundered yet. Instead of surprising the viewer, now the listener, Saturdays of Thunder is filled with very mundane … Read more
Head Wound City
Head Wound City
Three One G (2005)
Let's get the roster out of the way because that usually draws people in like moths to a blowtorch. Jordan Blilie (The Blood Brothers) (Vocals), Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) (Guitar), Cody Votolato (The Blood Brothers) (Guitar), Justin Pearson (The Locust) (Bass), and Gabe Serbian (The Locust) (Drums). You're either feeling the flame or I'm feeling the draft of the … Read more
Hi Red Center
Architectural Failures
Pangaea Recordings (2005)
Hi Red Center hail from Brooklyn, New York and Architectural Failures is their debut record, initially recorded in 2004 but finding a home the following year at Pangaea Recordings, home of Capillary Action. The band mixes a wide variety of influences to creature the fairly unique offering which is presently spinning around in my stereo. Opener "Red/Green" is an Apple … Read more
HIM
Dark Light
Warner Bros. (2005)
HIM is known as the biggest musical joke of our generation and is bashed frequently by message board elitists everywhere. Are they really that bad? It depends. Listening to HIM's new album, Dark Light, is not a good way to introduce oneself to this Nordic phenomenon. I'd recommend going back to the beginning, eight years ago, when Greatest Love Songs … Read more
Hollow Ground
Cold Reality
Organized Crime (2005)
I can't possibly make this a lengthy review. I can't! I've tried to think of creative ways to give my opinion on this piece of melodic, tough-guy hardcore, "in the vein of Comeback Kid, Hatebreed, and Terror." But I keeping finding myself back at that very phrase which sits mid-page on the band's bio that Organized Crime sent out. "...in … Read more
Hollow Ground
Cold Reality
Organized Crime (2005)
An open letter to Hollow Ground and Organized Crime Records I'm not a detective or a mind-reader. I am neither Columbo, Criswell, nor Veronica-fucking-Mars. I'm just a guy who gets a meager paycheck working with kids that likes to review albums in his spare time. Don't make me search all over the internet for information on your band. Did you … Read more
Holy Roman Empire
Lost in Landscapes
Hewhocorrupts Inc. (2005)
Do you remember Ashes? Junction? Hell, even Samuel for that matter? Have your ears ever had the chance to listen to Beta Minus Mechanic? Copper? Idle Hands? Well maybe it's all little rusty for you hardcore kids in the 25 and older age range, so let me refresh your memory. Holy Roman Empire as well as all the bands listed … Read more
Hoods
The King is Dead
Eulogy (2005)
Hoods, the reigning kings of Sacramento hardcore, have endured a lot throughout their decade of existence. The band have released a slew of recordings in all forms - LP's, EP's, splits, and compilations - on a handful of labels. Such an unwillingness to give up is rare for a band, especially in the genre of hardcore. And yet, here they … Read more
Hot Hot Heat
Elevator
Warner Bros. (2005)
Hot Hot Heat has managed to weave in and out of the limelight in the last few years. Often compared to the Cure, they are able to hold onto the fringes of the mainstream thanks to the "new" new wave and dance rock movements. The single that broke them to the mainstream was the catchy yet repetitive "Bandages," which has … Read more
Hot Snakes
Peel Sessions
Swami (2005)
Last fall rock lost one of its true visionaries. John Peel was responsible for introducing the UK to acts like Pink Floyd, The Velvet Underground, The Smiths, The Undertones, Nirvana, The White Stripes, Napalm Death, Carcass, Extreme Noise Terror & Joy Division. How's that for diversity? It was an honor for any band to get to play Peel's BBC radio … Read more
How it Ends
Beloved
Thorp (2005)
There's something to be said for bands that get right to the point. Literally within the first ten seconds of "11th and Arch", Philadelphia's How it Ends lets you know exactly who they are and what they're about. And on their second album, Beloved, How it Ends is all about the heavy. Heavy guitars set just how i like my … Read more
I Am the Avalanche
I Am the Avalanche
Drive-Thru (2005)
If you look at the musical resumes of the members of I Am the Avalanche, they are quite impressive. Vocalist Vinnie Caruana fronted the pop-punk band The Movielife; Guitarist Brandon Swanson played in the highly-toted emo/indie rock band Further Seems Forever; bassist Kellen Robson was a member of Long Island hardcore band Scraps and Heart Attacks; and while guitarist Michael … Read more
Ian Brown
The Greatest
Polydor (2005)
Ian Brown is held in high regard by many, many people; which I guess you can sort of expect for the man that was the lead singer of The Stone Roses. With the release of his greatest hits album under the imaginative title The Greatest, Brown is pretty sure of himself and his music. God knows why. Seriously the guy … Read more
Idlewild
Warnings / Promises
Parlophone (2005)
In 2002, Bob Fairfoul walked out of Idlewild with a rain of misdirected punches. From that moment, it seemed impossible that the next album would be anything other than either a return to an older, easier sound, or a radical change. When bassist Gavin Fox from Irish band Turn and long-term tour guitarist Allan Stewart were drafted into the new … Read more
Immolation
Harnessing Ruin
Olympic (2005)
Hey Immolation, I just received a call from 1989 and they want their music back. Harnessing Ruin is the sixth release from legendary death-metal act Immolation, and they show us once again why they're "legendary." The nine songs off this CD deliver 2005 a blast from the past. This death-metal time-warp makes me think back to when death-metal bands came … Read more
In the Crosshairs
Partners in Crime
Blood Money (2005)
Partners in Crime opens up with a sound byte of god only knows what (I don't know, maybe something eastern-influenced? Is that PC? Who cares) and melts into metal. I know, I know, since when do things melt into metal? The laws of physics dictate that this is not possible, but the laws of hardcore dictate that it is both … Read more
Inara George
All Rise
Everloving/Loose (2005)
It's taken more than a year, but finally, Inara George's All Rise opus has been given a UK release. Readily available on import at no extra cost, the necessity for it is questionable. But with a new album on the way, featuring songs co-written by Idlewild's Rod Jones, and a performance with the very same coming up in London, the … Read more
