City Sleeps-Not An Angel
(Trustkill Records, 2007)

City Sleeps is possibly a name that doesn't ring a bell quite yet, but with time this will be a band you hear a lot about. Not An Angel is an interesting and well written rock record with passionate vocals and enough memorable moments to secure a permanent spot in your brain.

While it is easy to associate City Sleeps with the melodic rock genre, they certainly aren't predictable. The songs are of course based around memorable choruses and hooks, yet the songs tend to cover a lot of ground. From acoustic guitars to uptempo rockers, the album is diverse and hard hitting, exploring without becoming meandering. There is indeed a common thread running throughout the album, yet each song is quite different.

With an album of this style if it is produced by John Feldman you know that it will sound like a million bucks. While it does sound quite good, Feldman seems to use similar ideas with each band he records when his style should change with each band. It doesn't really hurt the album at all, but it is quite noticeable.

This is a ridiculously infectious album. If Bones and I Can't Make You Love Me dont get stuck in your brain, I pit the numbness you must feel. This is as energetic and passionate as they come and I love every minute of it.

Soldiers-End of Days
(Trustkill Records, 2007)

With a name like Soldiers I assumed I was in for some fast and metallic hardcore. I certainly wasnt wrong as the band plays a heavy speed driven form of hardcore that packs quite the punch.

At face value I would say that the band sounds like a cross between Comeback Kid and Terror. The songs are fast for the most part but also consist of many chugging rhythmic parts as well. It serves as a nice contrast to the usually fast approach of the band. The slower parts share a similar feel to Madball, with an intense yet diverse riffing style.

The songs are actually a bit longer than you might expect from a fast hardcore band with most being over three minutes long. Sure that isn't exactly an epic length for a song but it certainly is longer than the typical two minute hardcore songs. The band also manage to have a good balance between fast and slow parts and it gives the songs a good sense of dynamics because of this.

While I wouldn't consider Soldiers to be an original band, they certainly do the genre proud. There is little doubt in my mind that if you enjoy fast and rhythmic hardcore that you will enjoy Soldiers. What the band lacks in originality they more than make up for with energy and charisma. This is as hard hitting as they come and you'll enjoy every minute of the sonic beating.