Review
Sidetracked
Just a Front

16Oh (2006) Zed

Sidetracked – Just a Front cover artwork
Sidetracked – Just a Front — 16Oh, 2006

When Tacoma, Washington mixed early Internal Affairs with a handful of power violence and took out the repetition, Sidetracked was birthed. The Northwest has been known recently for their exceptional melodic hardcore - Sinking Ships, Shook Ones, etc. - but Sidetracked is a quick reminder of what a dose of pissed off infested kids with instruments and amps can do.

While some songs on Just a Front seem to straddle the ten second mark, others more comfortably glide past a minute. The mixing of their influences makes an interesting ride. Take for example the intro to "Just a Front" that starts off with some youth crew groove and springs into frightening speeds and distortion.

If you want easy sing-alongs, mosh and/or melody look elsewhere; there's nothing easy about Sidetracked. They don't repeat parts. To some this might seem all over the place, but if you're a fan of attention deficit disorder, Just a Front will sock you in your mouth with what you've been yearning for. Just don't complain when you lift the needle and your newly discovered shellshock settles in.

7.0 / 10Zed • August 1, 2006

Sidetracked – Just a Front cover artwork
Sidetracked – Just a Front — 16Oh, 2006

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