Calico System

Outside Are The Vultures

On their last album, 2005’s They Live, Calico System took some flack for treading into cookie-cutter screamo waters. Outside Are The Vultures counters that aesthetic with a mostly indistinguishable batch of brutal, riff-focused metalcore. It’s too bad because now Mark Owens’ singing voice is mostly absent. User-friendly tracks like "Running With Scissors" from They Live or "Love Will Kill All" from The Duplicated Memory (both worthy purchases) are sorely missed. Still, fans of the heavy stuff will find something to like. “Anorsexia,” goofy title aside, is one standout, with its murderous stabs of razor-sharp guitar and drums that thud like falling gallows. The band works up another good, sweaty groove on "Lick The Sun," but memorable hooks are rare (look to “Unlocking The Mavrik” or “Deciever”). Those two help shape a pleasing form from the album’s mostly punishing granite heft. (EULOGY) = Luke O’Neil