Get A Grip/Hammer HeadThis is the second release (first being a seven inch by Get A Grip) from Richmond, VA's Strike 3 Records, first on CD format and if this is any indication of what's to come I look forward to future releases from these guys. Hammer Head is a five piece based out of Delco, PA while Get A Grip, also a five piece comes from Richmond, VA.
Get A Grip open things up with 5 tracks that range from 1:06 through 2:20. Their sound is slightly reminiscent of the members previous bands; Cast Aside, Dead Serious, and Barfight. The vocalist has a great sounding scream which really adds some intensity to the bands sound. Hammer Head bring 6 tracks to the table. The songs are pretty varied in terms of length, ranging from :58 through 2:42. The press sheet hit it on the head, "sounding like a slower Negative Approach..." which is right on the money. These guys definitely remind me a lot of Blacklisted (who are also heavily influenced by NA), especially in the song "Gang Mentality".
Lyrically, I liked both bands but I thought Get A Grips' side was stronger, they have quality introspective and personal lyrics. The song The Redeemer is about people who use religion as a crutch, and I enjoyed that one thoroughly. The other 4 tracks are introspective tracks about thinking for yourself, trying to keep a level head and keep moving forward. The lyrics don't come off nearly as trite as you would think given the descriptions. At moments they have a bit of a poetic undertone; "If you came to a fork in the road, would you turn around and go back, or would you take a chance and choose a path? If you had to pick the high or low road, would you sell yourself short, or would you do what you knew was right? Well, I don't know, but I try everyday to do better than last. Why do we always want what we can't have? Is it in my head or could it be real? Things were perfect before you came along, now my life will never be the same. I'm afraid I'll never be satisfied; I'll never get your out of my mind. I don't remember what I'm waiting for; I only know it isn't here. Searching in the dark for something that was never there. The time has come, time to make your choice, do what's right, do what's wrong."–"Somewhere Along The Way"
Hammer Head was good, and I especially liked the song Nothing Like You which lashes out at jaded old heads; "The whole world's fucked up, but you're only thinking of yourself. Hatin' everything you see, so you bring it down on me. I see all your hate and I just can't relate, your fucking attitude; I can't take it. So what makes you think you're so fucking cool, just because we're younger than you? You hate everything that's new, and we'll never be anything like you."
I don't have a clue where either of the bands recorded but both bands have a solid sound on each respective half. Get A Grip have a good thick tone which fits their style well. The guitars have a crunch similar to Terror's sound, the drums sound good but the bass drum a bit on the thin side, the bass plods along in the background with a solid tone, the vocals were quality and really complimented the vocalist delivery. Hammer Head, really feeling the bass tone which has plenty of presence and a good twangy tone but at times it drowns out the guitars too much in certain areas but it's not too bad. The drums sounded decent, the bass drum was inaudible too much though. The vocals had good placement. Neither are mind blowing, but sounds extremely solid.
I'm really liking this splits layout, the artwork has a real metal feel to it, from the death metal styled band logos, down to the carnage filled artwork. It's got a rapture feel to it, war on earth with a demon filled sky. Good choice of colors as well, the various shades of yellow and orange work great and it's all printed on quality gloss. The inside of the book was handled good, each band has it's own page with the lyrics and a nice silhouetted photo of the band.
Rating: 4/5
Sections Worthy of Replay: (Get A Grip) Somewhere Along The Way (Hammer Head) It Goes Like This
Synopsis: I liked Hammer Head's side more mostly because they reminded me of Blacklisted but Get A Grip wasn't too bad, and they were especially strong in the lyric department. Even though they had some No Warning-esque moments which has been a bad thing lately but it's not as evident as a lot of bands I've heard. The layout is quality, recording is very solid and both bands are good.