Coliseum-s/t
(Level-Plane, 2004)


Not content with resting on his laurels Ryan Patterson of Black Cross started this crusty punk rock band in the wake of Black Cross being rather inactive at times. Think Discharge meets Motorhead with just a bit of the Black Cross sound creeping in. Just a hint though, this really sounds nothing like Black Cross for the most part.

It’s awesome to hear a band bringing back a bit of the discore sound. There are bands still slugging away playing the style, but you don’t see many new bands popping up. I think that this is one of the few bands taking the style and actually adding some elements though. You have the faster elements, and the more rocking elements which bring to mind Motorhead, but you also have a wide variety of tempos. They aren’t content just playing the d-beat for the entire album. This is as punk as it comes, but it’s also interesting from a songwriting point of view.

The production is raw and suits the band perfectly. The guitar tone is heavy, yet has a straight from the amp sound that really helps the band maintain that raw and urgent sound that they need for this style of music. I think that possibly the vocals might be a bit out front, but it doesn’t distract from the music at all.

This album really surprised me. I was expecting it to be awesome, but didn’t expect the songwriting to be so varied and for the album to have such a new slant on the d-beat sound. Highly recommended for fans of Discharge and Motorhead.

V/A-Rock Against Bush 2
(Fat Wreck, 2004)


Fat Wreck seems to have no trouble finding bands to take part in this compilation series. The line-up on this one possibly isn’t as good as the first, but it’s pretty damn close. You get tracks from Green Day, Yellowcard, The Unseen, Bad Religion, Operation Ivy, Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly, Rancid, Sugarcult, Only Crime, Foo Fighters, Hot Water Music, Donots, Useless ID, Mad Caddies, Bouncing Souls, Jawbreaker, Thought Riot, No Use for A Name, and a bunch more. A total of 28 tracks in all, quite a few of them being unreleased, rare, or live tracks.

The dvd that comes with this installment is even better then the first one. You’ll find music videos from Alkaline Trio, Flogging Molly, Bad Religion, No Fx, and Thought Riot, comedy clips, and trailers and excerpts from political videos. Definitely a nice addition to an already solid compilation.

Greenhaven-2 song Demo
(Independent, 2004)


For some reason awful just doesn’t cut it for this band. I guess you could call it somewhat a cross between rock and metal. The music is incredibly bland and sounds like a million bands that you probably didn’t like in the first place. Certain vocals reminded me of Danzig’s newer material, but the music just really isn’t my thing. Who the hell releases a two song demo anyway? What’s the point of paying for it to be pressed for two songs?

Goatsnake-Trampled Under Hoof
(Southern Lord, 2004)


This band is heavy as a really heavy thing. You know the expression and yea it’s a bit cheesy, but this is just plain heavy. I don’t just mean the guitars are heavy either. The atmosphere that the band creates is heavy. It’s like gravity pushing down on you. You can’t help but feel it. This is doom metal perfected, plain and simple.

The vocals definitely take a bit to get used to. He’s a bit from the Ozzy style, but he also throws a little bit of Danzig into the mix for some lines. The performance is actually a little bit rough around the edges and a few notes are pitchy but it definitely adds to the overall vibe of the album. Music isn’t supposed to be perfect. The imperfections are what makes music human.

The main core of this new EP is three new tracks, but you are also treated to two bonus tracks. One is a cover of St. Vitus (Burial at Seas) while the other is a Black Oak Arkansas cover (Hot Rod.) The two bonus tracks were recorded with different lineups and the production isn’t as powerful as the newer songs but they are definitely a welcome bonus.

Saint Vitus-V
(Southern Lord, 2004)


This is a reissue of what I believe is Wino’s first album with Saint Vitus. Recorded in 1989 it definitely shows it’s age with the thin guitar sound and tinny drums, but the bands brand of rock influenced doom still rings through.

Added as a bonus there is a 5 song live video included on the disc. I actually would have liked to see some liner notes and bonus photos added to the layout. Instead I think this looks pretty much the same as it always had, although this may very well be the first time this is available on CD. I’m really not sure. Saint Vitus fans will definitely want to pick this up. Everyone else though, you might want to take a chance if you are into doom. After all is a doom collection really complete without Saint Vitus?

GFK-If Liberty Isn’t Taken...
(G7, 2004)


Somewhere in between metal and hardcore rests GFK. The guitars cut like razor wire with heavy technical riffs and crushing breakdowns. But you are also treated to straight ahead hardcore riffs. It’s like death metal, thrash and hardcore all ran at each other head long and this is the aftermath.

You can pretty much count the amount of original bands these days on one hand, but GFK really manage to squeeze at much originality out of their heavy sound as possible. The riffs sometimes remind you of a band, but the way they are strung together and the execution really is original. They really give the sound a Quebec slant and really tell us why the province seems to bring us the best bands in this country. I wouldn’t expect anything less for G7 to be honest. Every band they release is passionate about their music and offers something that a lot of bands in the genres don’t offer. Don’t call this metalcore because it runs circles around the bands around these days.

The production is razor sharp and really just blows my mind. The amount of energy they manage to commit to tape while remaining tight and technical is just utterly mind-blowing. They are almost like the hardcore Cryptopsy is their approach. They don’t sound like Crytopsy, but this band could be seen as their hardcore brother so to speak.

This album is simply put amazing. If you think heavy hardcore has become stale, this is an album that you need to hear right now!

Splatterhouse-The House that Dead Built
(Razorback, 2004)


Horror influenced grinding death metal is basically what you expect from Razorback bands and Splatterhouse definitely doesn’t disappoint. Somewhere in between Carcass and Sanity’s Sawn with more then a douse of thrash is what you can expect from this band. Dismemberment has never sounded so fun!

I think that this band really has a knack for songwriting that sets them above a lot of bands in this genre. They have slower riffs and really manage to squeeze a lot of energy out of the slower tempos. They have an almost doomy vibe which fits perfectly into the creepy atmosphere of the band. You also have the more mid-tempo stuff which is where the thrash starts to show.

At the bands core though is blasting insanity. Blast beats and gurgled vocals are what drive the band, but it’s the other elements that help the band stand out. Without the thrashy rhythms and slower sections, this would just be another Impaled/Exhumed, Haemmorhage clone. Not that that in itself would really be a bad thing though.

This is pretty similar to a lot of the bands on the label, but I’d say that the songwriting is a bit more mature. If you were a fan of Mangled in the Meatgrinder, this album will be an instant payoff.