Only Crime-s/t
(Fat Wreck Chords, 2004)


I'm not sure if I'd call this a project band or a full fledged band, but the band is made up of members of Good Riddance, All, Bane and Converge. I was expecting it to be fast and noisy, but for the most part it mainly sounds like Good Riddance. It's a bit noisier then Good Riddance at times, when a few songs show off a more Black Flag approach complete with the noisy completely out of key solos. This is a good collection of melodic hardcore songs, but it sounds a bit too much like Good Riddance for the band to really stand out as anything other then a project right at the moment. I think it mainly is because the singer doesn't try to sing any different then he does in Good Riddance. It's the same exact style, same vocal pattern styles and even the lyrics sound like Good Riddance lyrics. It's good for what it is, but it could have been so much more.

Fat Wreck Chords

The Project Hate MCMXCIX-Hate, Dominate, Congregate,Eliminate
(Threeman Records/PHD, 2004)


This album simply put, bores me to tears. The band has interesting ideas and to a certain degree is original, but the songs are just far too long. 12 minutes of midtempo death metal is just too much for me. Oh, they throw in female vocals to spice things up? Doesn't help. They have good ideas, are tight, but this album just goes nowhere.

Threeman Records

Something Must Die-s/t
(Independent, 2004)


It really makes me wonder about why bands get signed in this day and age. Something Must Die plays absolutely pummeling metalcore that is well written, extremely tight and actually offers a bit of originality to the scene. If a record deal doesn't come as a result of this 4 song demo then there is definitely something wrong with this world.

When I call these guys metalcore, it's definitely heavy on the metal. There are blast beats, death metal growls, tremolo picked riffs, and even some well played guitar solos. They have the chugging and dissonance that makes them associated with the metalcore genre, and the main vocal style is a harsh scream that is definitely reminiscent of the metalcore style. I'd say that these guys are a bit more technical then a lot of metalcore bands too. The chugging and groove riffs are much more involved then a lot of bands. They aren't just simply chugging the open E and then throwing in a dissonant fill at the end. It would be a stretch to say that they were reinventing metalcore, but they definitely aren't simply following the set patterns as well.

The production is honestly better then about 75% of the stuff I get from labels. It's heavy, tight, and well rounded. It also allows a lot of energy to come across, and the band really has a handle of layering guitar tracks. How is it that unsigned bands can manage to bring out demos that sound this amazing and bands on big labels still manage to crank out shitty sounding albums?

If this band stays unsigned I will lose a lot of respect for the hardcore scene. Hell, if I had the funds I'd start my own label just so this band could be heard by more people. They really are that good.

Something Must Die

Last Call-The After Hours
(Victimized, 2004)


For awhile now when a band is called old school hardcore it's mainly a way to say that they are fast, to the point and aren't very metal oriented in sound. Last Call to me are best described as an old school hardcore band. They are fast at times, but for the most part they pay homage to a time when metal and hardcore were first starting to be combined. Think early NY/HC with just more then a little Cro-Mag's influence coming through.

I was impressed with how diverse this album was. If you think back to the late 80's the albums were fairly diverse. The bands weren't afraid to experiment with tempos and things were never incredibly fast to begin with. Last Call have a lot of more rock based riffs and solos are all over this album. A lot of the riffing has a lot of groove as well. It's what bands played before breakdown riffs became so cliched. I'm getting really sick of bands just playing open E and calling it a riff. Sure, it's heavy, but it's fucking boring.

There are a few sections that remind me a bit of newer hardcore. The vocals are a bit more harsh then the old school style. They actually remind me quite a bit of a heavier version of Lou from Sick of It All. They have a similar sound, but like I said the vocals for Last Call are much heavier.

It's about time a record came along that totally shuns the cliches and trends of the current scene. This album totally sounds like it could have been released in the early 90's.

Victimized Records

Carnal Forge-Aren't You Dead Yet?
(Century Media, 2004)


This album should come with a roll of duct tape or a staple gun. You're going to need it after this album rips your head clean off of your shoulders. Carnal Forge have always been a band that I've thought had potential and with Aren't You Dead Yet? that potential has finally be fully realized.

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Carnal Forge sound like the Haunted. Both bands play thrash influenced high speed metal, but Carnal Forge is faster, a bit more technical and the guitar solos are just face ripping. The vocals add an extra punch to the already vicious assault. The vocalists rips and tears his vocal chords until everything within ears range is left decimated. There is no need for a diverse vocal approach here. You won't find any clean choruses, and with the exception of some backup vocals this is 100% screaming from beginning to end.

I like the fact that the Swedish sound is finding it's way into the US scene, but it's just uncanny how much bands from Sweden just rip all of those bands to shreds. Put this album on next to pretty much any of the US bands and you'll see a pretty big difference in the power and conviction of the music. God Forbid and Bleeding Through can play the style amazingly well, but pretty much every other band can't even hold a candle to Carnal Forge.

If you like your metal fast and blistering, then why the hell don't you already own every album Carnal Forge has released so far? Fans of US metalcore might be doing themselves a favour to check this out as well.

Century Media Records

Hatesphere-Ballet of the Brute
(Scarlet/PHD, 2004)


Don't let the album name fool you, this isn't the death metal swan lake. What this is however is a ten track assault of energetic and thrash influenced death metal. The band has hints of Swedish death metal, thrash, and even a bit of hardcore I'd say. The intro to the opening song has some more melodic passages that are very metalcore based, but then the second track explodes with furious riffing and screaming vocals.

It would be tough to call what the band was doing new. It borrows from At the Gates, and The Haunted, but the band plays with enough energy to make the album very much so worthwhile. I also think some of the more hardcore sounding passages help the band stand out. They aren't incredibly obviously hardcore influenced. The riffs are still very heavy, but the rhythms are usually much different and some of the drumming has a pretty big hardcore feel to it.

The production really isn't spectacular but it gets the job done quite nicely. It's heavy as all hell, and the band is tight, it just seems a little bit rough around the edges at times. I think the guitars could have been a little bit louder as well. The vocals seem fairly loud at times, as do the drums. You can still follow the guitars though, it's not like they have been buried completely.

Hatesphere definitely aren't bringing anything new to the genre, but they definitely are one of the better bands playing the style. With so many bands playing the style it is getting hard for bands to stand out, but the music will usually speak for itself. So if you are into melodic thrash influenced death metal you should definitely look into Hatesphere.

Scarlet Records

Malevolent Creation-Warkult
(Nuclear Blast/PHD, 2004)


Malevolent Creation are back with 12 songs of their patented war soaked death metal. Essentially it sounds pretty much identical to Envenomed. Is that a bad thing? Not in the least. I think Malevolent Creation really hit their stride with Envenomed, and this album is pretty much a better all around album then Envenomed was.

Essentially Malevolent Creation is a thrash influenced death metal band. They aren't a very technical band, but with Dave Culross drumming you know that they are a very tight band however. The newer style the band has been showing with the last few albums also has hints of black metal showing from time to time as well as a bit more melody as well. It's pretty much still the classic Malevolent sound, but just with a few tweaks to make them even better.

The production on this thing really reminds me of Serpents of the Light. The guitar sound especially nearly sounds identical. I'm fairly certain it wasn't a conscious thing, but I've always thought Serpents was the best sounding Deicide album. It has a live, yet raw sound, and it pretty much fits Malevolent Creation perfectly.

If you were a fan of Envenomed, then Warkult will be an album that you will be able to digest quite easily.

Nuclear Blast