How's Your Edge? Reviews

Animal Instinct - Stick Like Glue - Take It Back Records #001 - 2009

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:44:00 +0000

Animal Instinct is hard. They make me think of Judge. That is if Judge had been formed in Cleveland instead of New York. I can definitely see Animal Instinct splitting a bill with early Integrity & Confront. Maybe playing Chubby's bday bash with PX (was that all one show?).

Also, Animal Instinct just dropped this EP on a new record label out of Switzerland, Take It Back Records. This record label is run by at least one solid dude. Christian Unsinn is a name I can recall for well over 10 years. I probably first saw him pop up on the old xmulletx swap site (and possibly the message board). Over the years, he has worked on lots of cool projects, including the GLWDRK magazine I reviewed years back. Seems like a solid dude with a solid game plan:

TAKE IT BACK is a new label dedicated to hardcore/punk. TAKE IT BACK is not about ringtones and wallpapers, it’s not about weekly newsletters. It’s about being active within the hardcore/punk community, it’s about friendship, and most important: it’s about fun.

TAKE IT BACK supports a vegetarian lifestyle.

I can back ALL of these things. And it feels like Animal Instinct can too. Their style is hard, but you definitely get a "we're doing this for all the right reasons" vibe from their sound. There is a very genuine attitude to the whole thing.

My one b33f is with the artwork. Upon first glance, I thought I was seeing a Straight Ahead rip off. But it's not. Instead, there is a jaguar crushing the throat of the king of the jungle. Subconsciously, I then equated this album to one upping the Straight Ahead 12" EP. We all know that is not possible. That album is unfuckwithable. No doubt. Likely, I'm reading too much into it. Plus, the fold out poster insert is awesome -- very frameable.

Head on over to the myspace pages to pick up the EP. Grab me a white tee in medium while you are at it. And if that doesn't work for you, try your luck on Ebay. You never know what you may find.

Lewd Acts - Black Eye Blues - Deathwish Inc - 2009

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:31:00 +0000

I moved to Worcester in 1997 where I would end up hanging out a lot at 34 John St. A guy lived there named Tre McCarthy. Pretty good dude. One time I saw him acid drop off his couch in the middle of a phone call. The phone (cordless phone, not a cell phone. This was 1998 afterall) smashed everywhere. He put it all back together, and somehow the person on the other end of the line was still there! Also, one time I was riding with him to his new apartment. To make room in his car, he had to push a tennis racket out of the way. Yes, a tennis racket. Can you picture Tre playing tennis? Still a mystery to this day.

Years later, Tre would co-start Deathwish Inc. Jake and him would release a ton of albums over the years. In the beginning, Tre would send me a lot of their releases, but that tapered off over the years. That's fine. We both realized that I would rather NOT review something than give it a less than stellar review. And everyone knows generic straight edge is my bread and butter. Obviously, DWI needs to release more of that ... I think the last package Tre sent my way was the Curse I LPs. Yeah, a while back.

So when Tre hit me with the new Lewd Acts release, I knew I was in store for something awesome. And I was not disappointed.

This LP rips. It's not my normal fare, but I dig it. It gives me an Integrity (less scary) / American Nightmare / Lion Of Judah (minus the wigger mosh, space trip hop bit) vibe. Overall, a quality vibe. I can envision lots of kids slow moshing for this band, plenty of head banging, that's for sure. I've seen the tees everywhere. Never knew why the hype was so big. But after listening to this album, I'm a believer.

I'll probably swing over to Ebay to see if I can find some deals on tees. Otherwise, definitely go hit up Deathwish Inc for this album. Support the bands, support the label.

Set Your Goals - This Will Be The Death Of Us - Epitaph - 2009

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:40:00 +0000

I've been following Set Your Goals since my friend Matt turned me onto them some years ago. Of course, he was biased. He is their tour manager. Luckily for him, they are an awesome band and chill dudes. I'm a pretty big fan of their previous albums, and even interviewed Matt a few years ago. I've been looking forward to this album ever since Merrick started singing snippets of it.

Now that I have it in my hands, I am not disappointed. Of course, it isn't at all what I expected. Which is not an issue, just surprising. I was expecting SYG to go super poppy for this one. And you know what, I was completely wrong. This album is HARDER than any other release they've dropped.

And you know what? This album reminds me of the Judgment Night Soundtrack. I know, I know, "lay off the reefer, Brian," but hear me out. Judgment Night was this dope mid 90s movie where the soundtrack was all artist team ups. So you had Biohazard and Onyx on one song, Helmet and House Of Pain on another (ill, ill song) and Sonic Youth + Cypress Hill on another. It was just this ill little mashup of bands dropping insane songs where each song had a completely different vibe. That's what this album has. One song has an ill double kick and metal up your ass, while another has a perfect pogo bounce. Throw in some guest spots by Hayley Williams (Paramore), Chad Gilbert (New Found Glory), Vinnie Caruna (The Movielife), Jon Gula (Turmoil, oh what??), and you've got a pretty sick sound.

You can catch these dudes touring constantly. If you are lucky, you hit up Gig Life and witnessed a good time. They even have tshirts for "grown ass men." If you can't find one in their tour merch, peep Ebay. You never know what you may find. Go ahead and spend those dollars on this release. You won't regret it.

Start Today - Blindness EP - 2009

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:17:00 +0000

Start Today come hard hitting with a 4 track EP. Initially, I was pretty confused just looking at the layout. ALL the text is in English MINUS the lyrics. They are all in a language that is not based on a character set I'm familiar with, ie not Romantic. Turns out it is Bulgarian which has roots in the Slavic language. Something I know nothing about. So I got to listen to some great tunes that MAY have featured lyrics about punching cows or stealing candy from children. Just kidding! It also turns out that they have a link with all the lyrics in English. That's pretty helpful for me at least.

The lyrics are pretty thought out and heartfelt. I can get into that, for sure. Paired with some value backed hardcore. I would use the term emotional but I don't want people to think I'm talking about Brokencyde or some shit. There's a lot of passion here with a definite Strife / Have Heart influence. Get into it.

Try your luck on Ebay and hit up Stoilov's site while you are out on the interwebs, vinyledge.com.

The Golden Age - Unlock Yourself - Panic Records #016 - 2009

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:46:00 +0000

The Golden Age is a band I can really get into. I'm not sure what exactly grabs me, but it grabs tight. Could be the mixture of sounds. Like a weird cross of Set Your Goals (minus a lot of pop and a singer, of course) and Earth Crisis. Or maybe mid-era Lifetime and Count Me Out. It's a great little mix.

Of course, the epic Straight Edge anthems don't hurt either. I'm going on record right now saying, "The Constant may be the Straight Edge anthem of 2009." And as you know, the year is only halfway over. I love a great fucking straight edge sing along. It's not generic youth crew, but it's got balls. "A song can change your life and open your eyes, transform energy, reveal what's inside!"

These dudes are going out on tour with a couple of great bands this summer: No Harm Done and Offsides. Three excellent bands worthy of all your attention. So when they play, quit texting and mosh hard. If you don't heed my warnings and are IMing your friends all night, you'll have to scour Ebay the next day because you'll WANT this CD. Pick up some merch while your at it, bub.

Inhuman - Last Rites - I Scream Records - 2007

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:48:00 +0000

Inhuman is for Brooklyn Bastards. If you don't know what I mean, then chances are, you are not a Brooklyn Bastard. These guys have love and pride for their little borough. And it isn't in a I-ride-a-fixed-gear-bike-and-wear-floppy-hats sense. But rather the roots of Brooklyn. Remember that movie Gangs Of New York? I can envision Leonardo moshing to the music of Inhuman while waging an all out street war. I can't really picture Leonardo flying his little airplane to the tunes of Inhuman though. That just would not work.

This last album has a strong resemblance to modern era Sick Of It All or Madball. Lots of heavy, fast tunes, with that nod to more melodical hardcore. Merely a nod. No full blown crooning here.

Not sure if this album is still in press. I'd guess so. Mike handed me a copy at the SOIA/Bane/Capital/Inhuman gig so the band still has them. If that doesn't help you, you can always check out Ebay.

Police & Thieves - Amor Y Guerra - Youngblood Records #25 - 2009

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:33:00 +0000

It turns out there is more than one band named Police And Thieves. Weird, right? I spent a few minutes listening to some ska band. This is obviously not the band that Youngblood records released. The hardcore band from DC is much, much better. This CD is pretty cool. It contains their Amor Y Guerra EP, the S/T EP, some unreleased tracks and the 2005 demo. Who knew this band has been rocking for nearly 4 years? Shit. I didn't realize.

Their sound is a definite departure from lots of hardcore squeaking by these days. It isn't a departure from the harDCore sound that most people love. These guys are heavily influenced by their scene and give lots of nods to DC bands that came before them. Plenty of Embrace and Dag Nasty vibes. I'm digging it.

Peep ebay for all those record release covers you slept on, or check their site for some tees and hoods. Get into it!

Bank Robber - Demo 2009

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:18:00 +0000

Bank Robber dropped a demo in 2007. They played some shows, did their thing. Now in 2009, they've dropped a new demo with 6 new tracks. It's not really for me. It feels like they are going for that mid 90s mosh sound. You know that post Judge metal vibe that bands had? Either you were playing Shelter and 108 tunes, or you were trying to become the next Snapcase. These guys also cover a Strife song. A song from In This Defiance. It seems like an odd choice to me.

They play shows around Denver quite a bit, it seems. You'll have to check them out, decide for yourself really. If you need that back merch catalog, dig deep into Ebay, or peep their merch store over at Big Cartel.

Make Do And Mend - Bodies Of Water - Panic Records #015 - 2009

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:54:00 +0000

Make Do And Mend hail from West Hartford, Connecticut. Normally, when I discuss bands from CT, you would expect to hear me talk about Mosh Metal, Ground Zero, or Connecticut Brotherhood. That's not going to be the case today. In fact, I can't really imagine anyone kick boxing, let alone mosh, to this band. It has a very post hardcore vibe. Think a mixture of Quicksand, Hot Water Music and All Chrome. Honestly, I was pretty damn surprised when I put it in the old cd player. Real surprised. Thankfully, it is the good kind of surprise.

The one thing I really know about West Hartford is that it's a stones throw from Farmington. Which is the home of the China Pan. Oh man, those citrus spare ribs are for me. No idea why they would dump those from the entree menu. Dumb move. Now if you don't hang out at China Pan or in West Hartford, you may want to peep ebay for all the hard to find gear and merch. Feel free to head over to panicrecords.net for the latest releases.

Swamp Thing - In Shame - 6131 Records #016 - 2009

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 12:32:00 +0000

I grew up in Maine during the 80s. At this time, cable was still "new" to us. Like those running water jokes, you know? At my house, we eventually got cable. My brother and I would watch MTV as much as possible. It was perhaps the coolest thing we had ever seen on TV. Of course, my parents hated it. I think they caught that Great White video, Once Bit And Twice Shy and forbid us to watch that channel ever again. Or maybe it was that Warrant song ... Of course, that made us want to watch it more. We set up a system where one would person would sit in the kitchen on a stool partially watching out the front door for our parents. We were schemers!

We devoured 120 minutes and headbangers ball. But to me, I always wanted to see those Faith No More or Bad Brains videos. I hated metal. Metal meant nothing to me. It felt like a bunch of guys in skinny leather pants pretending to be scary. That sucks. There's no message there -- THE MUSIC, THE MESSAGE. But then there were punk rock bands with an actual message. That spoke to me. Even if there bay area attitude held no sway over my New England environment. I just recall thinking, "my parents could be home at any minute. Stop showing metal videos." My pleas were often unheard and I would have to suffer through a few Judas Priest videos before getting to something good.

Swamp Thing isn't Judas Priest. They also aren't Rancid. The music has that heavy hardcore vibe: some double kick, a few breaks, lots of heavy. The singing is what made me recall my youth. I can't understand a god damn word this dude is singing. Not one word. He has that scratchy, metal vocalist yell. What's his message? No idea. I lump it in with the "we're singing about hell and demons and goo." Since they aren't a metal band, I'm guessing that's not what they are about really. But I'm guessing the imagery is just as ephemeral.

If you are looking for finger pointing and stage dives, keep looking. This band has more hard mosh and heavy sing-alongs. I can see some hard pitting for this band. Go ahead and check out 6131 Records for the record and merch. If that's not enough to satisfy you, peep Ebay for that limited edition gear.

Clear Sight - Demo 2008 - IDM #03

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:43:00 +0000

Clear Sight has an obvious angle. They have definitely grabbed onto a theme and are running with it. In this case, that image is Straight Ahead. They take it and go, go go. The sound pulls a lot from Straight Ahead -- plenty of the vocal styling and guitar techniques, for sure.

But here's the thing. Those are big shoes to fill. I mean, c'mon. STRAIGHT AHEAD. Shit. They are a Tier Zero band. It's hard to reach those heights. These guys do a good job of getting there, but there are a few mishaps. The worst of which happens to be their Straight Ahead cover, oddly enough. The recording is odd, real odd. It sounds like it was recorded in a karaoke bar where the vocals are processed through a video game mixer. Like I said, very, very weird. Music is spot on, vocals are off. I guess I'm just down on re-recorded songs.

These boys are from Kiev. That'd be in the Ukraine. For those still living in the 80s or 90s, that'd be the USSR. Good luck catching these guys. Hopefully, they start touring Europe and the US. Dudes would be into that, I'm sure. Until then, hit up IDM Demo Tapes to snag the tunes. Failing that, hit up Ebay.

Rearranged - Demo 2008

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:06:00 +0000

Rearranged hail from the great white north. North of Turkey, that is. This demo traveled many miles to find its way to my tape deck. Thankfully, the trip was worth it, and it's on heavy rotation.

Listening to this, I hear lots of influences from California. Mostly Insted. Some Uniform Choice. Then the song Letter To A Friend came on and I had to check if it was a Youth Of Today cover song. It's good, real good.

The demo I received is numbered. I think it's either 19/100 or 49/100. I can't really tell. The first digit looks like an upside down 4. I'm going with it being a real fancy 4. 49/100. It is specially branded with the I Drink Milk Fanzine logos. I'm guessing the two came together on purpose. After some digging, I found that to be true (IDM Demo Tapes). Peep later reviews for the zine review ...

If you aren't lucky enough to live in Russia, you can download the demo via the MySpace page. You should also order it pressed onto vinyl, courtesy of Brainwreck Records. And if none of that suits your fancy, there is always Ebay. But don't delay. Pick this up!

Mouthpiece - Can't Kill What's Inside - Revelation Records #147 - 2009

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 13:28:00 +0000

Mouthpiece began before I got into hardcore. And Mouthpiece broke up before I started to attend REAL shows (I don't usually count seeing Sam Black Church and Tree at Zootz "real" shows). But once I started going to shows, I HEARD about the amazingness of Mouthpiece. And this caused me to pick up the What Was Said release. I played it and played it and played it. In fact, I overplayed it and probably haven't listened to anything Mouthpiece in at least 8 years. Sad but true. I just wore those grooves out and wore myself out too, in the process.

Putting on this CD was like running into a great friend you haven't seen in years. Years have gone by, but the music and the message is still as awesome and relevant as it was back then. And thankfully, Mouthpiece has stood the test of time. Oddly enough, the sound that Mouthpiece pioneered has greatly re-surged in the last few years. You've heard Have Heart. Without Mouthpiece, there is no Have Heart. Every epic note Have Heart pounds out is due in part to Mouthpiece.

The other thing I always loved about Mouthpiece was their unabashed love of The Straight Edge. Everything about this band IS straight edge. Well, straight edge and Nikes. I can support that fully. What remains? More than words!

Shoot over to Rev and pick up your copy today. But if you're looking to get those crucial old tees, you're better off trying your luck on Ebay. Or maybe lurk the LWR board for a while. Shout out to Ed on a great design job. I'm especially a fan of the cd artwork; a nice throwback to Rev 1-4.

One gripe: The live audio mp3s on this CD are ripped at 128kbps. 128kbps, for real? WTF?! I know the music is from 1993, but the technology shouldn't.

Blackened - This Means War - Think Fast Records #37 - 2009

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:20:00 +0000

I'm not sure where I first heard about Blackened. It was either morGODo talking about "this awesome new band" or Tanguay talking about Chris Legg's new band. If you don't know, Chris Legg was once in Fastbreak, and Tanguay is a bit of a Fastbreak fan. I think Legg was the reason Fastbreak wasn't initially a Straight Edge band though. What's up with that? And of course, Jay Reason is on vocal duties for this band (hence me thinking it was morGODo who tipped me off). You may recall Jay Reason from Voice Of Reason. I know I do. I saw them at this show

May 3rd 1998 @The Tune Inn New haven CT: Time Will Tell, Voice Of Reason, Rain On The Parade, Up Front, Follow Through, Fastbreak, and Tenfold reunion

It was a ridiculously awesome show. No real weak links. Everyone had fun, lots of good times were had. I expect Blackened will have the same feel. Granted, Blackened sounds nothing like Fastbreak OR Voice Of Reason. Rather, this band gives off that AN/Suicide File vibe. It's been a while since that sound popped up so maybe these guys are going to re-start that trend. Who knows? They have the potential to do it big.

Pre-orders are available now. The official release date is Jan 20, 2009. You can get your order in here. You could also grab that back catalog for the ex-members over on Ebay. You'll never know what you're going to find. PS. I just got a sweet Fastbreak hood in the mail via a trade. Fastbreak Boston. LOL. Youth Pride, GO!

Common Cause - The Power To Change - Powered Records #12 - 2008

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:56:00 +0000

Common Cause is friggin incredible. This is not a lie. I've been slacking on my reviews lately (obviously) and Common Cause forced me to break the slump. Not sure how I slept on listening to this or reviewing it for so damn long. I'm sure Ange will give me a hard time for that. I bet he LOVES this band.

This band plays the old style of hardcore. No new jack shit. Likely influences include: Uniform Choice, Youth Of Today, Floorpunch and Rain On The Parade. This is real friggin good. The next time you are hanging in the Netherlands (Editor's note: Klaas pointed out this mistake. Oops ... Norway, duh. OC HARDCORE!), you should check out this band. And since that's not so likely, you should start a petition for them to tour the US and then follow them like they were the Grateful Dead. They are worth it.

Try your luck on Ebay. Or hit up Powered Records and try to score some ill limited colored vinyl. I got a nice powder greenish one. Looks good. Great color choice. They have some pretty cool shirts too. Quit sleeping!

Cruel Hand - Prying Eyes - Bridge 9 #103 - 2008

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:46:00 +0000

Cruel Hand hail from one of my hometowns in Maine. Brunswick. The land of Wild OATS and Bull Moose. You'll never know how many hours I spent roaming those streets on my bike and just hanging out IN the Bull Moose. In fact, when I was a senior in high school, I did an ethnography centered around the Bull Moose clientele. I was in that store for 8 hours at time. Just watching and peeping used CDs. Years later, I would meet Chris Linkovich while he worked at Bull Moose. He clued me in on the resurgence in the Maine hardcore scene straight with a lot of help from Brunswick. At the time, it was Outbreak. And Outbreak KILLED it. They tore the state into shreds. A lot of that was due to Ryan and his ferocious energy. On top of that, large credit needs to be given to Chris, Nate, Chuck, Seger, Joe, ... for crafting some amazing songs.

Fast forward a few years. Cruel Hand breaks onto the scene as a project band. Chris shifts from guitar to vocals and Nate moves from drums over to guitar. Seger kept on keeping on with the bass. The song writing team is there (minus Chuck Outbreak), but now they are taking their project to the next level. Cruel Hand is now the focus and it really shows with this new album. You can hear how they stepped it up and put in the time and effort to create a great album. If you are a fan of moshing, you are a fan of this album. If you are a fan of stage diving, you may just want to sit back and let Chris show you how it is done. You'll probably be embarrassed at your lack of skills following the gig, though. Sorry.

I suggest you support this band and hit them up when they tour through your town. I'll be seeing them on Halloween later this week at the ICC. I'm sure it'll be ridiculous. Maybe we'll even get some wacky Halloween gear. If you can't make it to the show, I feel bad for you. If you still want that merch, you better try your luck on Ebay. You can always hit up the b9store for current merch too.

ps. I noticed my name in the thanks list BEFORE morGODo and Freddy Madball. Even if my name is misspelled, that some how speaks volumes. LOL.

Free Spirit - Demo 2008

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:23:00 +0000

Guaranteed: It will take you longer to read this review than it will take you to listen to the Free Spirit Demo. This bad boy barely hits the 3 minute mark with 5 songs. That's not a problem. Free Spirit pull off that sound just fine. Think of the Straight Ahead tracks from the End The Warzone comp. Short bursts of intense songs. Some good stuff here. Not exactly a Straight Ahead sound, but pretty close.

Here's one of my favorite reviews of this demo (quoted completely):

"needs more open minds"

Lol. Second favorite review:

"Needs a song called Open Mind."

I'm a fan. Gil brings a positive outlook to the scene and it really shows through his words and actions. SUPPORT! It probably doesn't hurt that the band has other notable noters in it: Jack D from Vitality (oh whut?), Kenny Look Alive(on drums!) from Step Forward, Hudon of The Action Taken (and some other band) and Luke from Waste Management and Rampage. Solid lineup, no doubt.

Funny story. At Edge Day 08, Gil handed me a copy of the tape. They had spent the entire previous evening dubbing tapes in preparation for Edge Day. I threw my tape in on the ride home and was greeted by the sound of silence. I then guessed, "oh maybe they didn't rewind" so I jockeyed the tape around for a few minutes, fast forwarding, rewinding. But I was always greeted by silence. Then I figured, "oh maybe since it's so short, I am just skipping over it somehow." I then sat and listened to both side A and side B complete. Of course, blank all the way through. D'OH! Luckily, I grabbed some emps and was able to enjoy this fine demo.

I don't they have any online shiz set up yet, but feel free to bother Gil. He can probably hook you up with a demo or at least point you in the right direction.

ps. What about DJ Crazy in that pic? Wowza.

pps. I hope you are slow readers so my guarantee was true.

Unwritten Law - Live and Lawless - Suburban Noize Records

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:46:00 +0000

Unwritten Law will trick you. I remember seeing their music in stores when I was a kid and thinking, "ooh yeah, a new punk rock album." But right there, TRICKED. They aren't punk rock, they are weird radio rock. It's like the album the other kids got and could talk "punk rock" with you about. You know, the white hats can get into them. That's this band.

This release is actually double. One disc is a CD with live tracks. The other disc is a DVD with all the live tracks. Before watching the DVD, I listened to the CD. In my mind, I was picturing the crowd to be packed with post-college kids enjoying their beers. After watching the DVD, I'm pretty my guess was right. Here are a few other observations.

1. The singer should just keep his hands on the guitar. His weird arm motions were very distracting and not in a good way.

2. The bass player would be better suited for Opeth or some black metal band. He seems strangely out of place.

3. The guitar player is rocking a Christian Death shirt (at least on the packaging). That's cool. Then again, he has about 6 lbs of eyeliner on.

4. Unwritten Law fans obviously only know the radio hits. The fans look like stale fish until Rescue Me was played. Even then, the only action I saw was a few devil horns, and pumping fists during the chorus. And some weird pogoing. They didn't even do any crappy crowd surfing. Oh wait, there is ONE crowd surfer. UGH

Lets see. To sum this up, the cover art is the best thing going for this package. Yeap. Feel free to try your luck on Ebay. Maybe you can get a sweet poster for your garage.

Too Deep Until Now #1 - Fanzine

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:26:00 +0000

Mike Puffer writes this little gem. I ended up selling him a Wide Awake EP (great taste!) and he sent his payment with a copy of his zine. I fired off his record and then forgot to dig into his zine. I was too busy chasing down negligent buyers. Ugh, nothing worse than that.

Fast forward to True Colors in Haverhill. True Colors was ill, no doubt. After the set, a dude comes up to me promoting a Vitamin X show in Western MA. I could see he was enthusiastic. I mean, he was giving it his all for True Colors, so I knew he was no joke.

Mike with the "remove long sleeve in the pit" move.
GREAT MOVE!

We talked for a bit. He is psyched on the core. And that is all apparent when you read his zine. It's not too often you see a real DIY cut/paste zine anymore. Thanks to photoshop and illustrator, everything goes straight to glossy or the nerd. But Mike took the time and created a great read.

He has interviews with Shoot To Kill, Make Or Break (I even learned something new. I never realized that Charles started Think Fast! with Larry. Who knew??), Government Warning, Trash Talk and Justice. Yes, that's it. 4 interviews. 10 pages. GREAT READ.

I'm not sure how to contact Mike. That's the thing. His address is in the zine but no other form of communication. Mike hit me up. Tell us how the kids can get your zine without me blasting your mailing address all over the nerd!

ps. Pic kindly borrowed from Dan Gonyea over at future-breed.com. Great kid, great shots.

EDIT: I got word from Mike. Here's his email address. You can hit him up there, and get his address to send review items.

Energy - Invasions Of The Mind - Bridge 9 Records #101 - 2008

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:03:00 +0000

Energy seemed to come out of nowhere. One day they were playing shows, the next day they were dropping EPs on Rock Vegas. And now, they are dropping a new LP on Bridge 9. It all seemed FAST to me. But seeing them at shows, kids LOVE this band. Plenty of moshing and stage diving and general run a-muck-ness.

Whoa, now that I dig back in my archives, I realize I've been seeing this band since 2006. Two years doesn't seem so fast anymore. That could explain how all those kids know about this band. I'm starting to catch on.

What I'm not catching is the hype behind this band. I just don't get it. I've listened to this album a few times, and it's fine. I mean, it isn't likely to set the world on fire or start revolutions, but it is a positive addition to the BOSTON hardcore scene, you know?

But to me, the singer's voice makes it hard to focus on. I almost equate it to Mike Ski of Brother's Keeper, except way less over the top and with a "whoa whoa" slant. What's odd is that I have nothing against "whoa whoa" songs. I love Lifetime, Saves The Day, New Found Glory, Set Your Goals, ... I can hang with all those bands and their "fwoooaa" stylings. Maybe the "whoa whoa" is overdone? I can't pinpoint it. Also the sing/yell/sing genre is not for me. Leave that on the outside with My Chemical Romance. Those songs do make me cringe a little.

All cringing aside, this album is chill enough for "whoa whoa" fans. Generic youth crew fans need not apply. It dropped yesterday so feel free to head over to b9 to get a good deal. Pick up a package item (record + tshirt) or try your luck on Ebay.

Crime In Stereo - Selective Wreckage - Bridge 9 Records #104 - 2008

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:41:00 +0000

Crime In Stereo dropped this album on the world yesterday. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I wasn't aware that it was basically a b-sides and unreleased song compilation. That's not a bad thing, usually. I mean, if Oasis and Guided By Voices can do it, what can't a hardcore band?

Unfortunately because these songs span 3 years and who knows how many recording sessions, it all doesn't mesh together cohesively. Some tracks come off as pumped up Hot Water Music while other tracks give off Strike Anywhere vibes. It shows the progression of the band, but it doesn't make for a whole LP. Don't get me wrong, there are moments of genius on this album, but then again, there seems to be some clunking too (like the very out of place, weirdly teen angst ridden track These People Ought To Know Who We Are And Tell That We Are Here). Which is strange, as Crime In Stereo consistently drops bombs when it comes to tunes. The standout track to me is definitely Everywhere and All The Time. It rocks from the first note to last note, and the chorus lead in is catchy, giving the song a Braid nod.

Like I said, this album came out yesterday. You can hit up b9 for a cool package deal, or you can hit up your local store to up those Sound Scans. For older gear, try your luck on Ebay.

Ruiner - I Heard These Dudes Were Assholes - Bridge 9 Records #105 - 2008

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:29:00 +0000

Ruiner picked a damn funny album title. It's actually a really smart reflection of the scene we live in. I'm guilty of it, no doubt. My reviews always come off as "good band, great dudes" rather than some deep look at tuning, bridges and chords. Hell, I was super sucky at music class. I couldn't even come up with good keywords for the last sentence. What it all comes down to for me is a) do I like it or b) do I not like it. I'm guessing it boils down to that for a lot of people.

Good news for Ruiner, I like this fucking album. It's really good. It makes me want them to tour with Down To Nothing and This Is Hell. Imagine that mosh and stage dive fest! Amazing. This album definitely hits me harder than the last album. I also like that they moved away from the art cover concept. Clean images in black and white speak volumes about this band. It's rather fitting.

Australia, prep yourself because they are coming your way soon. Aren't you lucky? You can pick this album up from B9 soon. Maybe next week or the week after, I think. They are putting together some cool package deals. They always do ... If you want some older gear, try your luck on Ebay.

War Priest - Archaic Revival - Street Cleaner Records #002 - 2008

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 17:06:00 +0000

War Priest is on a chill, underground tip. You can't find them on the internet. You can't find them on MySpace (well, at least I couldn't). Hell, even their record label has almost no presence on the internet. Check streetcleanerrecords.com yourself for proof. It's strange, in the digital age, these guys are keeping it old school. AND IT FUCKING WORKS.

This album shreds. It reminds me heavily of Black Sabbath's Master Of Reality. Now that could just be the heavy black and purple theme going on, but it's heavy and rips. And not in the Goat Island, weird lack of robes nod to black metal sludge, but with fast, hard metal riffs and smashing drums.

And the vinyl "gimmick" works on me. Not really a gimmick, I suppose, but a one sided 12" EP really catches me. It certainly made me set it aside for further investigation. I mean, check these pics.

That's just cool. I'd love to tell you where you could pick up this album, but I have no friggin clue. Contact Ahron or try your luck on Ebay. Peace.

Foundation - Never Stops Raining - Triple B Records # - 2008

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 00:44:00 +0000

When I think of Foundation, I think of the lead singer doing amazing stage dives. Just balls out, throwing his body around senselessly. Much like Timmy No Justice. I also think of that little EP Erika helped them put out. Then I heard this EP. For some reason, it sounds nothing like I remember Erika's EP sounding. Is that weird? Am I crazy? This record definitely has a "moshier" feeling to it, where I think the last one was more straight forward hardcore. Again, I could be crazy and living a revisionist lifestyle. All very possible.

Try your luck on Ebay. And hit up the Triple B Records online store for all your favorite merch. There is still some color vinyl available. Act fast!

No Harm Done - Escape - Think Fast! Records #035 - 2008

noreply@blogger.com (hows yr edge) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:26:00 +0000

No Harm Done is a 3 word band name. I can think of another 3 word band name that I bet these guys are tired of hearing about: Set Your Goals. Yes, you guessed it. No Harm Done is more pop punk than hardcore -- sort of a strange divergence for Think Fast! Records, it seems.

Now, to me, that is NOT a problem. I love Set Your Goals. And after a few listens, I start to hear other nods. There are HUGE nods to Reach The Sky's last two lps and even a few nods to later era Good Riddance. If you aren't seeing the common thread, just know that I am digging this album.

After digging a little more, I realized one of the band members is very familiar. Charles from Get Outta Town Records. I have no freaking clue how this guy does it. He runs a label, plays in at least 4 bands I can think of and probably has some sort of day job. How he manages all that, I'll never know. What I do know, this album is probably my favorite project of his. And Charles involvement probably explains the Think Fast! so-called divergence.

PS. A coworker just brought in a crap ton of candy: jolly ranchers, sweet tarts, twizzlers, ... The good stuff. I don't believe the sugar has biased my review, though.