Against Me!- New Wave

Sire Records

www.againstme.net

This album is all over the boards musically. “New Wave” starts off pretty strong with the title track, a song entwined in their traditional folk punk roots with huge, soaring choruses and a fair amount of attitude. The rest of the album is a constant back and forth of conflicting styles, at times staying in sync with the feel of their older albums and other times straying off the path with songs that sound too polished and antiseptic. The definite standout track is “White People for Peace”; a song that is gritty and filled with the sardonic political commentary that I am accustomed to hearing from these guys. Throughout all the experimentation on this album, this song is their saving grace…the ‘great white hope’. “Borne on the FM Waves” with it’s slow pace and female vocals lend an interesting composition, almost a punk rock duet and while it’s not what I was expecting; they make it work. The majority of the songs sound too overproduced and pop infused for my liking, for instance the song “Stop” sounds like it was culled from the last Modest Mouse album. This album has a couple of outstanding moments but for the most part is pretty disheartening. I wasn’t expecting another “As the Eternal Cowboy”, but I was expecting a little more than what this album is offering. I am a little disappointed in “New Wave overall, but I can tell this may be an album that grows on me over time. I’m not giving up on Against Me! yet.          CS

Banner Pilot/ Monikers- Split 7”

Kiss Of Death Records

www.kissofdeathrecords.com

It was a stroke of pure genius to pair up Banner Pilot and Monikers on this split record; they are the perfect musical pairing to cleanse your palette of all things lame and musically disgusting. Both bands play poppy punk with huge hooks and enough attitude to make Ben Weasel proud…the kind of musical formula that have put bands from the Midwest on the punk rock map. But make a mental note that Monikers are, in fact, from Florida. I have been following Banner Pilot since I picked up their EP “Pass the Poison” earlier this year, and in waiting for their upcoming full length, this split has been great in tiding me over until that time. I’m a fledgling fan of Monikers, having just recently acquired their album “Eat Your Young”, and now coupled with what I’ve heard from this album as well, I’ll definitely be listening to them a lot more. Both Banner Pilot and Monikers have their own sound down pat but both share a similarity with their singer’s raspy and distinct voices as well as a sound that is a definite nod to Jawbreaker. These two bands remind me of the bands that got me into punk in the first place.          CS

Light Yourself on Fire- S/T

Well folks, we’ve just added one more droplet in the proverbial hardcore/death metal bucket. I do believe the names only become more ridiculous as the evolution of Pantera marches on. On a more positive note the rhythm section is favorable with solid drum beats and murky guitar work. If you’re a dead metal-head you can probably get over the charcoal vocals and over-amped lead guitar. Lyrically, I felt persuaded to head to the garage in search of the gas can. Overall, there definitely a lot of energy that comes out of this band. I’m just not sure how constructive it is, and it’s not really my brand of destructive. However, this may be a wonderful gift for your cut-off sleeve leather boot friend who grows pot in his basement. This may even be the album to bond the rednecks with the black make up kids.     PM

Only Crime/Outbreak- Split 7”

www.thinkfastrecords.com

This split album is a perfect example of how two bands, playing different styles can completely compliment each other. It’s widely know that Only Crime features former members of great bands like Good Riddance, Black Flag and Bane, but to call them a mere collaboration or side project would be doing them a massive disservice as they have two LP’s under their belt showing their dedication to their music. Only Crime kicks ass and takes name and stand on their own. Outbreak play scathing hardcore with a definite crust punk edge, with snarling vocals and a whole heap of attitude. Both bands play a fast adaptation of hardcore but while Outbreak has a more abrasive, fuming sound…Only Crime keep a keen focus on melody, sounding a bit more polished and deliberate. Each band contributes two tracks for this album and any one of them would have fit in with the exciting hardcore tunes that were coming out in the early and mid nineties. This split is great for anyone who is growing weary of the whole metalcore thing, and longing for a more mature, old school approach to hardcore.          CS

108- A New Beat from a Dead Heart

www.weare108.com

Energetic. Innovative. Intelligent. Intense. “A New Beat from a Dead Heart” is their first full length since their reformation in 2005 and their first album in over a decade. Exciting? Your bet your sweet ass it is. After an introductory period of calm Hindu chanting, this album erupts into a dissonant fog of fractal guitar patterns that move from catastrophic breakdowns to successions of pulsating squelches that meld with the breakneck drumming to provide a furious backdrop of noise. Every chord struck, every cymbal crash, and every word spat with pained abandon and furious enunciation perfectly encapsulates this bands aura of progressive musicianship and spiritual vibrancy, built upon a foundation of heaviness and poetic ingenuity. My personal favorite tracks are the punishing ‘Three Hundred Liars’ and ‘The Sad Truth’, a song which I perceive to be grasping at the possible idea of utopian ideals. This is creative. This is thought provoking. This is crucial.          CS

Witches With Dicks- Manual

Signal to Noise- Kodiak

Ok, this album is called “Kodiak” and there are no songs about trail blazing and bears and shit. What the fuck? Had I paid for this album, I would be requesting my money back. No, I’m kidding. The first track on the album is a great introduction, but track two; ‘The Weather Machine’ is what caught my attention. A great churning masterpiece of flowing guitars, hammering drums and swirling melodies that are led off by-interestingly enough-cowbell. The song mentions beer and whiskey and friends… solidifying its role as the newest ‘buddy song’ for future Diatribe bro down sessions. The rest of “Kodiak” follows suit. Each song is more imaginative and fresh as the next, spinning tales of friendships and troubled minds all the while exemplifying an aptitude for succinct harmonious happenings and off kilter backup vocals. Singer Tristan Shaffer’s voice is raspy and growling, sounding like he has a penchant for drinking brown liquor. My only complaint with this album is the song “To the Bitter End (I’ll Be with You)” and that’s just because it’s a cheesy fucking title; but that doesn’t really matter in the long run, does it? “Kodiak” is a great album that comes off interesting and clean sounding without sounding overproduced and fits well with any listening mood, but to maximize your listening pleasure, serve with plenty of Bushmills.        CS

Guiltmaker- Driven By Arms EP

I can’t attach a label to these guys, but let me just say I’m willing to follow. Let’s start with the music which isn’t easily explained. Vocally it’s a tad under produced which really just adds an authenticity to the overall sound. The rhythm is generally poppy while leads show a more epic and also lonely side. Drums are mostly stable but flare up at just the right times unlike herpes. The perfect chemistry for emotional driven rock n’ roll.  These beautiful interludes clash into “Tool like” melodies leaving unseasoned listeners confused. However, it is truly immaculate to the trained ear like my own. “Driven by Arms” just about covers every musical base in my opinion. These boys are not over done, not under sung, and 4 songs was just not enough for me. I’m looking forward to the LP.      PM

Destroyer Destroyer- Littered with Arrows

My first observation about this album was the cover art- I don’t like it. The cover presents a wolf with about thirty arrows sticking out of it. Now, I could see them shooting this poor wolf had he been causing havoc around their chicken coop, but judging by the bands photo and the lack of Osh Kosh overalls, I highly doubt these boys are poultry farmers, and that many arrows seems a bit over zealous anyway. I am a staunch animal lover but I am not an extremist animal rights activist so I will refrain from bombing their local McDonalds in retaliation. I will, however, wag my finger and “tsk, tsk” them rather harshly. If they wanted to impress me with dark artistic imagery, they should have had a picture of the singer of Avenged Sevenfold littered with arrows and a dildo up his ass. The music itself is pretty standard metalcore with a definite grind metal influence and although they play their instruments well, “Littered with Arrows” is mediocre at best. I’m not saying that Destroyer Destroyer has put out a crap album, but I can name about twenty bands off the top of my head that sound just like this. If this kind of music interests you, I think you’d be better off passing this one up and picking up the next Black Dahlia Murder album.           CS

Wolverines/The Sibling Project Split CD

http://www.myspace.com/thewolverines 

This was without a doubt a split CD of a different color. The Wolverines kick it off with the first five ear-splintering tracks. The first thing you notice is how under recorded the band(s) are. It's very authentically a house party recording. I imagine 20 to 50 kids all crammed into one large living space at ground level with the band sweating their asses off but loving every moment of it. Beer and perspiration start to mix and nobody minds because  local band support is equivalent to taking a bullet The Wolverines are very hardcore with melodic guitar pieces and spicy drums. The perfect mind music-mind fuck band. The guitar follows the vocals, and although very different in composition, they are very complementing of each other. Lots of piss and vinegar and very unpredictable. The Sibling Project is the day compared to the Wolverines night. Very techno in spirits, but also very soft and uplifting. It puts this guy in the mind set of The Postal Service. An acoustic guitar on top of keyboards work surprisingly. Harmonies are a little off, but I don't think they had all the studio magic that most of our reviewies get. Not my cup tea I must say, but that could be because I drink coffee and avoid such lullabies. Not a bad split at all considering the lack of record label support.  PM

Wolverines/ The Breathing- Split 7”

Our Group Of Friends Records

www.freewebs.com/ogof

The first song on the Wolverine’s side of the album is ‘Drake’ a stunning composition of jangling guitars and heavy handed drumming. Fluidly moving from mellow parts to abrasive duel screaming…like a jam band on a methamphetamine bender. Song two, ‘Grey’ is a free for all jam session devoid of vocals and heavy on the mind fuckery. Resonant guitars create an atmosphere that walks the fine line between serenity and bedlam. As I was listening to it, late at night, a rerun of Jackass was on the television and the songs seemed to be a fitting soundtrack to that numbskull Steve-O attempting to swallow and regurgitate a fish. Wolverines are a band that can tackle any style and lend credence to it. With their competent acoustic strumming and Jason Fosters breathy, soulful voice, The Breathing put me in mind of Neil Young…oh shit, I just looked at the insert of the album. Their first track is indeed a Neil Young cover, which explains it. I kid you not, I wrote that before I looked. The second track on their side ‘You’re Not the Best, But You’re the Best Looking’ still sounds a bit like Neil Young but instead of singing about farms and shit, they are singing about a girl, presumably. This album has it all, it’s vital and eclectic and I’m eating it up.          CS   

Bad Brains- Build a Nation

Megaforce Records

www.badbrains.com

These old school hardcore dudes are back with a new album which is largely devoid of hardcore. I was a huge fan of the heavier ROIR album but never really got into their more reggae efforts that followed, so I was hoping for a middle ground with “Build A Nation”.  Most of the album focuses on mellow reggae grooves with some songs branching out into some mid tempo heavy metal guitar crunches and renowned singer H.R. getting nutty with a ton of echo effect on his vocals. I haven’t listened to any Bad Brains albums since 1986’s “I Against I”, so as I mentioned before, I’m not altogether surprised by the reggae jams…I was just hoping that they would be punctuated with a little more fury. “Build a Nation”, “Let There Be Angels (Just Like You) and “Universal Peace” still find them in fine form with their old brand of fast, adrenalin soaked hardcore ferocity, with an added thrash guitar influence which further accentuates their sound and let’s everyone know that they’re not yet too old to rock out. Those are the standout tracks and the ones that pretty much take me back to the days when I first heard Bad Brains, and get me excited all over again. At first the reggae tunes put me off a little, but with every new listen this album is sucking me deeper and deeper into it. I will be blasting these songs on a fairly regular basis.          CS

Bedouin Soundclash- Street Gospels

SideOneDummy Records

www.sideonedummy.com

Fuck me, Gospels is right! The forgotten gospels and black magic spells of Bob Marley is more like it. Ok let's pull it together now. Honestly not horrible considering I can't tolerate reggae music. It's a very small dose of reggae, but it's enough that I can smell the patchouli-stench. Ok, finer points are: this man does have a beautiful voice, and he does preach an important message. Not that I bothered to read into it, but I'm sure it's some kind of freedom fight or environmental issue. It's definitely diversity for Side One Dummy Records. I wonder if the records label is bound by affirmative action.?

I really have to say that this was the most grueling 9 songs I've ever sat through, and there are actually 13 songs on that album. It was way to gospel for me, way to reggae, way to depressing like the movie Roots  for my taste. Now folk, I'm not being bigoted here. These jams are as far from up-my-alley as the country of Jamaica is. If you like steel drums and depressing reggae music you are going to love this. Unfortunately nobody who listens to this has ever heard of the record label. Sorry Side One Dummy, but in your attempt to join hands all over the world, you've forgotten basic marketing principals. Although we do thank you for the Chuck Ragan albums.     PM

War Of Ages- Fire From the Tomb

Facedown Records

www.myspace.com/warofages

“Fire From the Tomb” is everything I expected it to be. Which is good and bad, I’m not going to lie. These Erie boys play punishing, head banging metal inspired hardcore or hardcore inspired metal…I can’t tell which, but you know what I mean. Most of the songs are mid paced grinders; staying at a relatively plodding pace with emphasis on the extra heavy…I bet their amps go to eleven. At first listen, some of the lyrics border on hardcore cliché, but others are deeply personal and that is what lends credence to this unrelenting chug fest. I’m  in the market for hardcore that is fresh with something never done before and weary of the ‘same old, same old’, and despite the fact that War Of Ages almost fall into this category for me, they play their music with such finesse and tumultuous uproar that you can not just write them off. This is my first real experience with this band, and it is not a horrible one but I will say that they could use some improvement, but I feel they’ll make huge strides in the near future. If you like heavy Unearth type hardcore with some interesting eighties metal guitar work, then pick this up. For the style of hardcore they are playing, they’re excellent; I’m just getting older and looking for something a little different.             CS

Dear Tonight- We’re Not Men

Red Leader Records

www.myspace.com/deartonight

Right out of the gates these guys hooked this listener. A very vocally driven group that sticks to solid tempo and basic rock n' roll methodology. I can really appreciate how over-the-top this band could have been but decided to follow the preaching's of greats like Henry Rollins. In fact the band does border a new age Black Flag in several ways. Song "Dead Boys" is shining example of old school sound can be left up to the brilliant interpretation of a new gang of young guns s and somehow not be butchered. I really can't get over how great lead guitars parts are placed with desperate and sore-throat vocals. It's just a bit depressing with out being weird. Fast but not speed punk. Solid but never boring. Dear Tonight deserve a blue ribbon, and I ever see them play I'll buy 'em that beer. A must hear or be damned album of 2007.     PM

Lost Hands Found Fingers- Live Hard Hold Fast

Sacred Plague Records

www.losthandsfoundfingers.com

I happened across Lost Hands Found Fingers’ MySpace page, they sent me their album, it fucking kicks ass…the end. Oh, if only I could stop there. Lost Hands Found Fingers describe their sound as “Hot Water Music and Iron Maiden got in a bare knuckle brawl in an Ohio basement”. Completely accurate, but despite their willingness to wear their influences on their sleeves, LHFF have a sound that is still truly original. Shifting between off time harmonies and old school skate punk speed, these boys tear through all eleven tracks and keep you interested at all times. Vocalist Jon Weidenbacher has a rough edged voice that both crawls and soars with raw energy and he compliments it well with intelligent, charismatic lyrics. Each track sounds different yet musically congruent enough to leave you feeling like you’re hearing new stories from an old friend. These Cincinnati boys have their fingers on the pulse of punk rock.          CS

Jena Berlin- Quo Vadimus

www.jumpstartrecords.com

A melodic up-beat band of bandits with a half blown-out voice for vocals. Make you think of anyone? Yes, you got it fucker. Very Hot Water Music in my mind. These old school sounds do come with a few new tricks. I'm mucho impressed with the way they can jump from funk like rhythms right back into grungier patterns. The guitars  have a mild tendency to show off from time to time. Vocalist  Jon Loudon really does have some creative lyrics, and really does poor his heart into every track on this album. At times I get the strange feeling of Peal Jam's Eddie Vetter. Not only in his voice, because the rest of the band joins in. Check out track #3 "Instruments" to see what I mean. This is definitely point in my book of point where I keep track of shit. Anyhow, mad respect for what these guys are doing. This is a quality album I would have not otherwise found if the label didn't sent it to me.   PM

Down To Nothing- The Most

Revelation Records

www.revelationrecords.com

Boom! Bang! CRASH!! Down To Nothing kick down you door, run full throttle through your house knocking over your furniture, eat all the food in your refrigerator and then kick your dog . Damn dude! “The Most” kicks out the old school sounding hardcore jams like nobody’s business and delivers a one-two punch right to your dome; the steady moshable pace being the jab to your face and the heavy handed breakdowns are the shot to your groin while the referee isn’t looking. The music’s pretty heavy but is slightly more mellowed out from their previous albums and while they lyrics sometimes border on the ‘blood/tears’ kind of hardcore cliché, their aptitude for making you pump your fist is enough to you turn a blind eye to it. I will call “The Most” a pretty solid hardcore album that’s light on frills but heavy on heart and while I don’t see myself popping this in the stereo too often, I’m definitely going to throw it on when I feel like flailing about or if a fight breaks out in my living room.           CS

Giving Chase- A Cheap Print of a Masterpiece

Jump Start Records

www.givingchase.com

I kind of paused when I first looked at the cover for this album. On the front is the Capitol Building as a movie prop looking standup with a mouth and it appears as if it just puked. At this point I knew that regardless of what music was contained in this jewel case, the one thing it had to be was interesting. And it was. And it is. Giving Chase is as heavy as any of their other hardcore contemporaries but also brandish a shit ton of melodic pop punk goodness. Several vocalists contribute throughout the album, each bringing their own style be it screaming, shouting or just plain old singing. I want to say there are a lot of progressive elements on this record, but that just usually means weird. And some of the things on this record are indeed weird, but in a good way. It’s very busy, musically, but despite everything that is going on in each song, no matter how off the wall and chaotic it gets they intertwine everything without stepping on their own toes. Each note played sounds like it belongs precisely where they put it and you couldn’t possibly argue it. And if you tried you’d just be an asshole. And what’s worse, you’d be an asshole that has no idea what they’re talking about. This is a great album if you have ever wandered what it would sound like if the vocalist of Boy Sets Fire joined Kid Dynamite and then they hired Kurt Ballou of Converge to play guitar and the singer for Taking Back Sunday to do backup vocals…and really, who hasn’t wandered that?   CS

500 Miles to Memphis- Sunshine in a Shot Glass

Darkest Hour- Deliver Us

Victory Records

www.darkesthour.cc

With many of their peers going the way of the buffalo or falling into emo-core obscurity, Darkest Hour trudge forward refusing to water down their music and pander to the fickle Headbangers Ball crowd. This D.C. powerhouse has spent the better part of a decade hammering it out in front of hardcore and metal crowd’s alike, winning over fans with their mixture of Swedish metal infused brutality and punk rock lyrical subject matter. “Deliver Us”, their newest offering in their growing legacy hits you hard with heavy, dark riffage, soaring guitar solos and double bass pedals blazing; concocting a magnum opus that is both vicious and masterfully harmonious. The band makes room for a little experimentation into more ethereal soundscapes while continuing to keep their root sound intact, their style may vary a little now, but you never for one instance sense any ‘selling out’ kind of vibe from this album; just some dudes that are incredibly secure with their musical choices and looking to branch out a little as they get older. Being a hardcore kid, I’ve often felt myself lumping Darkest Hour in with other hardcore bands and this album should be the one that completely separates them from this tag, despite the many hardcore elements displayed on their albums. This is a metal album, and a damn fine one. A part of me just wants to just label this ‘Heavy Music’, but that moniker brings a bad taste to my mouth, and makes me feel like I should be wearing a jean jacket with a Pantera patch on it and sporting a mullet. Fuck it, this is a good album and you should probably buy it.         CS

Far From Finished- Living in the Fallout

Think Fast Records

www.thinkfastrecords.com

"I'm a fucked up boy, in a fucked up world" says it all for this listener. Far From Finished knows the "F" word best, and they sing it with pride that stems from old school punk mentality and a lot of malt liquor hymns by midnight. This is absolutely catchy music that avoids the synonymous: catchy equals shitty music cliché. Lyrically these fellas remind me of an early Millencolin or Pulley. My only complaint is how clean cut the melodies and choruses are. I was looking for maybe a little more edge to some of the vocals and maybe a tad more distortion among the guitars. This is being very picky I understand. Also, faster drum beats were few and far betwixt. However, I did enjoy small piano parts that show off a more sensitive side, and as long as "fuck" is mentioned in the song it's not to girly. Kudos on guitar work. Tall cans in the air for simple yet intriguing lyrics, and keeps up the good work. We havn't seen the end of these guys, unless of course a beautiful dark-haired dark makeup punk princess come between them.    PM

Papermoons- S/T 7”

www.myspace.com/thepapermoonsband

This 7” is the debut record by the Houston two piece and with it they have captured my attention, my mind and perhaps even my soul. It’s a very rare occasion when a band that plays such soft music gets me to do a double take. Despite its lulling sound it’s also very dynamic; it steers your view to a more introspective train of thought and perfectly suits a quiet evening at home or traveling about aimlessly. I’ve heard Papermoons sound being described as Americana, and I wasn’t quite sure what that meant. If Americana describes the sounds that should emanate from your stereo while you’re traveling the world’s highways, city streets and back roads than I totally agree. This is a soundtrack to gazing out of a moving window, watching the scenery and watching those yellow lines fly by. With it’s fastidious guitars, delicate crooning and lo fi drums, I could imagine this album being the musical accompaniment to John Steinbeck’s “Travels with Charley”, perfectly encapsulating the feeling of experiencing the world. Go ahead and go to the bar, when you return you’ll find me listening to this album, drink in hand, and mulling over the intricacies of existence and wondering “if Hemingway could have heard these glorious sounds, would he have still blown his face off?” Goodnight and good luck.          CS

The Devil Wears Prada- Plagues

Rise Records

www.myspace.com/tdwp

"Hey, wasn't that a chick flick?" Sure it was, but it's also a testament to how not all hardcore guy-liner wearing bands have gone the way of the buffalo. I'm proud to say TDWP are from my native Ohio and are delivering a new edge to your hardcore "screamo" we've all come to love/hate. Small amounts of digital sampling and apocalyptic lyrics paint a real fire and brimstone image via audio. "Plagues" is the second LP from the underappreciated band from Dayton, and I must say it's quite the improvement. I wanted so much to actually like a band of this genera again that I think I may have, at first, forced these guys upon myself, but I'm glad I did so. Well executed choppy breaks and breakdowns along with a combination soft and hard vocals is the perfect concoction to make this my summer hardcore romance. Extra gay points for using the word 'romance'. Look for song cleverly entitled " HTML R00ls Dude." It's rather epic.. along with being a funny nod to the myspace hooligans and their crazy blogosphere. Not that I'm excluded form the crowd. I think I'll name my next band Angel In Armani.     PM

Broadway Calls- S/T

www.myspace.com/broadwaycalls

Broadway Calls have a kind of radio friendly sound that, despite my instincts, doesn’t quite repulse me. The music is catchy and hook laden, the vocals are well thought out and pretty enjoyable to follow along with, possibly because the vocalist’s unsteady vocals make me think of awkward times in high school. Warning-they pepper the entire album with massive sing along choruses that will get stuck in your head for days, good luck getting the words out of your heads suckers. This is well constructed, Drive-Thru Records-ish pop punk that makes me think of what Blink 182 would’ve sounded like if they spent a little more time on the music and less time on the dick and fart jokes. Bottom line, Broadway Calls…you sucked me in with your youthful and fun sound, and although I feel a bit foolish about it being 27 years old, I’ll go with it. However, if I hear of you guys going on Total Request Live and making me feel like a bigger ass…I’m coming to Oregon to kick all your asses.         CS

Powerspace- Kicks of Passion

Fueled By Ramen

This is the last review from Diatribe Inc. for a reason. This electronica pop punk with a few drum machine breakdowns is a car with the breaks cut, the doors locked, on a course toward the nearest stone quarry cliff. I know I'm probably shattering a few 15 year old egos right now, but we have to have a real Diatribe massacre every so often. I'll try to follow review protocol on this one. As I mentioned before we've got electronic punk, whiney lyrics that also happen to be repetitive and unimaginative. When these guys arn't being raped by Mr. Roboto they enjoy long down tempo teary eyed walk on the beach with their "girlfriends".

I have no idea why I'm being so harsh right now. Deal with it. I'm they authority on what suck and what doesn't when it come to this forum. I know it and you know it.