February 26, 2008

Hangar 18 Sweep The Leg [3.5/5] Whether it’s the Karate Kid joke in their second album title, the AC/DC-aping cover art or a first single touting baking soda as the new crack, it’s clear Hangar 18 represent the lighter (though still smart) side of fabled hip-hop indie Def Jux. That message is driven home...

Buck 65 Situation [3.5/5] Forget 50 and Kanye, Buck 65 (aka Ricardo Terfry) is arguably the most innovative lyricist in hip-hop. Sure, his stripped-down beats and piano melodies may not be crafted by Timbaland, but the minimalist musical compositions on Situation force the listener to focus on Buck 65’s idiosyncratic ingenuity. Whether he’s name-checking...

Soldiers End Of Days [2.5/5] Soldiers certainly know the ins and outs of burly, mosh-laden, heavy hardcore-musically, End Of Days is in the upper echelon of its chest-beating brethren. The band come off much more genuine, intense and motivated than most of their peers with a muscular, meaty recording, rapid pulse and strategically placed...

Rosetta Wake/Lift [4/5] The cover art for Wake/Lift depicts what appears to be a collage of cranes, scaffolding, telecommunications towers and oil rig legs. Imagine all that industrial-grade steel falling on your kneecaps. Now you have an idea how heavy this album is. “Red In Tooth And Claw” and “Lift (Part 1)” are sledgehammer...

Inked In Blood Sometimes We Are Beautiful [3/5] Well, it’s about fucking time! About fucking time a band from the new-school of melodic metalcore stopped the incessant spinning of their At The Gates and In Flames albums and gave a thought to Drowningman and Shai Hulud. Sure, xenophobia is politically incorrect, but when everybody...

Harlots Betrayer [4/5] Plenty of metal bands try and write long songs that captivate for the entire duration, but the amount who succeed is decidedly minute. Harlots know this, and their ability to balance short, two-minute onslaughts with eight- and 12-minute epics makes it all the more apparent. “Dried-Up Goliathon” is a real trip:...

Demon Hunter Storm The Gates Of Hell [3.5/5] Appreciating a band like Demon Hunter is hard. One moment, the songs on Storm The Gates Of Hell divvy up concise and flustered chunks of metal mayhem; the next moment you’re treated to hasty, melodic choruses. While adding double-bass beats and tasty leads to an otherwise...

Crime In Stereo Is Dead [4.5/5] Is Dead comprises some of the most ambitious, stunning songwriting melodic hardcore has witnessed in years, even if Crime In Stereo seem to give a consistent nod to Brand New both vocally and musically. Regardless, what results is an expanded palette of guitar textures, incalculable transitions and countless...

Coliseum No Salvation [4/5] There’s an unwritten law in the music world that if you ever pick up a CD with a layout featuring a bunch of skeletons riding motorcycles, you pretty much have to buy it. Luckily, the music on Louisville, Kentucky, hardcore trio Coliseum’s latest disc is as impressive as the layout...