Review / 200 Words Or Less
The Franklin Cover Up
Commercial

Seven Trumpets (2007) Michael

The Franklin Cover Up – Commercial cover artwork
The Franklin Cover Up – Commercial — Seven Trumpets, 2007

On first glance The Franklin Cover Up's name may appear silly. But upon further investigation - a child prostitution ring involving several former U.S. government officials - everything begins to make sense. The Idaho metalcore outfit

yes I said Idaho

delivers nine tracks in twenty minutes on their debut full-length, Commercial. These songs are a mixed bag: some great songs - "Great Tragedy River Ohio," "They Came and Melted Our Necks" and "A Nation Under Fuck" but also some subpar ones too. The band treads the line between the technical jamming of Botch and the sheer ferocity of Burnt by the Sun. If there was one thing I'd like to hear it would be more experimentation, perhaps some instrumentals or melody thrown in here and there to mix things up so as to not feel so bombarded.

6.5 / 10Michael • December 22, 2008

The Franklin Cover Up – Commercial cover artwork
The Franklin Cover Up – Commercial — Seven Trumpets, 2007

Recently-posted album reviews

Vial

Hellhound
Trout Hole Records (2026)

I was really into the last Vial record, a quick burst of peppy and pointed brat punk. The early singles off Hellhound lean way more grunge, so I was curious how the band had developed in the past couple of years. And while my very first impressions of "Infected" and "Scorpio Moon" had me thinking of L7 and Nirvana, by … Read more

Mauled

When Your Eyes Are Shut
Silverback Gorilla Records (2026)

Deathcore has spent the last decade mutating into increasingly technical, polished, and theatrical territory. Some bands chase symphonic grandeur. Others lean into hyper-technical brutality. The Indianapolis wrecking crew named Mauled take a different approach on When Your Eyes Are Shut. They drag the genre back toward the raw chaos of its early years. This six track EP feels deliberately rooted … Read more

DMZ

The Lost Studio Sessions-1978
Crypt Records (2026)

The Lost Studio Sessions 1978 finally sets the record straight. This is the raw, ugly power the band’s debut never touched. For years, the DMZ legacy has been misunderstood because of that Sire LP. Look, it was the first record of theirs I ever heard and I still love it—but Flo & Eddie’s production smoothed over everything that made them … Read more