A deeper look at the grooves pressed into 45 Adapters’ Unstoppable LP. After having released a series of records of different sizes and speeds since the band formed in 2008 (to date, the band has released six EPs, splits and singles), it’s kind of funny when one realizes that Unstoppable is only the second full-length album which bears 45 Adapters’ name; they just always seem to be working on promoting something, so that their output includes just two full-length albums...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Modify The Sacred LP by Seized Up. Let’s get this out of the way first, because it’s almost never the thing that metal heads like to read: as metallic as Modify The Sacred is, it’s impossible to deny that the album has a sizable punk streak running through it too. From front-to-back, for example, it’s very easy to hear reflections of Keith Morris’ vocal styling in singer Clifford Dinsmore’s vocal delivery....
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the This Is How Democracy Dies LP by Brigata Vendetta. Okay, after the last few years of pundits both educated and ill-informed questioning the health and longevity of democracy and looking at the concept so closely the eye-strain could easily be attributable to a migraine, the idea of another punk band stepping forward to declare, “Us too!” is almost laughable enough to drive this critic into a stress-induced mental breakdown. Happily though,...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Ouroboros EP by Kirkby Kiss. It might sound unlikely, but working in the music press can be surprisingly frustrating. The reason for that is simple, really – most bands believe that what they’re doing is unique enough that they couldn’t possibly be forgettable or mistaken for any other band. The problem is that, at a certain level, the name of a release can be mistaken for a band’s name and has...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the On Further Reflection EP by Wrong War. At this point, now decades since hardcore reshaped the face of punk rock, it would be easy for someone who isn’t a part of the punk community (isn’t a fan) to not understand how anyone could get excited about “another punk 7”.” Really, that there’s a form and structure in place is impossible to deny; guitars are distorted, songs are fairly simple, lyrics normally...
Brutal YouthRebuilding Year Sometimes there’s an itch I just can’t scratch. Sometimes you’ve given up on scratching that itch until someone unexpectedly hands you the perfect backscratcher. Finding new music can be an impossible ordeal. Most people’s taste in music sucks after all, but in reality, the more you listen to music, the more you know what will speak to you. Every year it’s a never-ending cycle of listening to new music that have been recommended by friends and magazines...
WHO: Brutal Youth WHAT: Rebuilding Year WHY: Super fast melodic hardcore reminiscent of Kid Dynamite, you say? Sign me up! In these 29 minutes of sing-along fury, Brutal Youth seem to have figured out a formula of what exactly makes this genre work. The hooks, speed, catchy choruses, down-on-your luck lyrics, and barking vocals are all there. Rebuilding Year just sparks joy in its pure craftsmanship. Brutal Youth came out of nowhere for me, and just might have come out...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Porterhouse Records reissue of SC.U.M.’s Born Too Soon LP. Listening to the reissue of Montreal-based punk/hardcore outfit SC.U.M.’s Born Too Soon LP really takes me back. I mean, I understand that the idea of a reissue is supposed to recall a time where the album in question was new and is capable of allowing a listener to inhabit that moment for a while – but the reissue of Born Too Soon...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into The Flatliners’ New Ruin LP. In the twenty-year duration of The Flatliners’ career to date, it’s actually pretty remarkable to observe the turns that the band’s music has taken. After beginning with some respectable (if not terribly memorable) ska-core in 2005 and then taking a couple of years to develop (see how it works with 2007’s The Great Awake), The Flatliners really hit the big time hard with 2010’s classic Cavalcade and...
A deeper look at the grooves pressed into the Gotta Give It Up LP by Sweat. On the surface, the cliche that, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” writes itself into any discussion about Gotta Give It Up. Yes – from the opening notes of “Hit & Run,” the opening cut on Gotta Give It Up, Sweat presents itself like a tight and intense unit – an imposing and very metallic entity which also speeds along at a...