Living HellThese guys are from Boston, CT and feature ex-members of Dead Wrong and Fear Tomorrow. If you're expecting another band paying homage to the youth crew movement you couldn't be farther from the truth.
These guys play hardcore that is heavily influenced by the Cleveland sound, you know Integrity and Ringworm. These guys definitely know how to throw in the speed when needed and they also can play the massive downstroke breakdowns. There's some pretty bad ass leads and solo's here and there, it's nothing super technical but it's extremely effective. Especially how the band implements them in the song "Parable Of A Madman" for instance and then again at the end of "King of Kings". The vocals are visceral and throaty as hell, he definitely brings to mind Human Furnace without being a complete ripoff.
The lyrics are dripping with the dark stuff and I would venture to say lyrically they are also influenced by Integrity. "Humanity wallows in the stench of its sin, numb to iniquity's cost. Forever comes crashing as the new dawn begins. The war eternally lost and the dreams of man lie rotting in the grave. Just beyond salvations grasp, dead to everything. Delusions of grandeur spreading the cancer, the price of our vanity. As his Kingdom comes, our divinities undone. Condemned for eternity and the dreams of man lie rotting in the grave. Just beyond salvation's grasp, dead to everything. We are dead to everything." –"From Parable Of A Madman"
Here's another album that came out of Atomic Studios in NYC, it doesn't say but I'd assume it was recorded by Dean. I really liked the recording and production on this album. The guitar has a nice bite to it, the bass is really full and uses just the right amount of treble, the drums are nice and dense with a good bass drum tone, the vocals sound fucking vicious.
The cover art on this one looks fucking awesome. It's a drawing of an average looking guy tearing out his eyes with the blood streaming down his cheeks. Fucking awesome. The trim that borders the foldout looks fucking awesome and really fits in with the pencil lines in the actual drawing itself. The inside of the foldout is on matte stock paper which is a nice contrast from the gloss on the front. It displays all of the lyrics in black font over a white background with the trimming. The actual record itself is a cool black marble vinyl, looks good.
Rating: 4.5/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: Parable Of The Madman and King Of Kings
Thesis: I can definitely see this band getting much more well known. The band is planning to release a split with Palehorse and Our Final Say before unleashing their debut full length so be on the lookout.