Daggermouth

Turf Wars

[3/5] Since their first full-length, Stallone, Daggermouth have been saddled with a derisive comparison to Bay Area upstarts Set Your Goals, and unfortunately, Turf Wars doesn’t do much to deter the associations. In theory, Daggermouth should sound a little more like their pop-punk/melodic hardcore predecessors (the Movielife, Lifetime, New Found Glory) and less like a direct copy of their peers. However, Turf Wars is competent, cute and earnest enough to mostly overcome those faults, with a socially conscious (domestic abuse) and personally reflective (touring hardships, soul-searching) base to provide more than mere diary fodder. While Daggermouth may not be performing any sort of mutiny on the genre alone, they’re certainly lending a helping hand in the revolution. (STATE OF MIND) Brian Shultz