Hit the Deck-Look Alive
(Strike First, 2004)


Just like this bands music, I’m going to keep this review short and to the point. Hit the Deck basically take the sound that Minor Threat created and well basically do nothing to it. It’s fast hardcore played with youthful vigor. A few riffs here and there have a bit of a modern sound, but those moments are few and far between. The band flies the X flag proud and this is an energetic album full of sing alongs and urgent riffs. It’s nothing new, but I’m not complaining.

Astrai-Touch in the Dark
(The End, 2004)


I would guess that you would either call this power metal or possibly symphonic metal. It’s incredibly melodic, and full of epic riffs. It seems like every time a band has a female vocalist reviewers will make a crack about the band only hiring her for album sales. But in this case only 2 members of the band are males, so this is definitely not the case.

A lot of bands in this style could work with male vocals, but this band seems to be written with a female voice in mind. The vocals fit the riffs perfectly and the overall vibe of the band. I liked the fact that the band wasn’t afraid to experiment. Some almost industrial sounding riffs seem to come out of nowhere during the opening track, and even more surprises are to be found throughout the rest of the album.

I wouldn’t say that this is an instantly gratifying album. It takes a few listens to fully appreciate to be honest. It’s not because the band is really weird or anything. They just aren’t very obvious. Certain parts are more atmospheric and the music really flows and doesn’t ram itself down your throat.

Take elements of power metal, add a doomy atmosphere, female vocals and a lot of creativity and you have Astrai. It might not be for everyone, but fans of the style will be able to appreciate this and recognize how good this band truly is.

Bloody Sunday-They Attack at Dawn
(Strike First, 2004)


Bloody Sunday offer few surprises on their debut cd, but what they do bring to the table is heavy fast hardcore that takes no punches and doesn’t let up for the entire duration of the albums ten songs.

The main driving force behind the bands are the metallic guitar riffs that are heavy, but still very much traditional hardcore based. You won’t find any tremelo picked riffs or melodic guitar lines, just fast power chords, and heavy breakdowns. They basically take that old saying if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it and bring it to hardcore. It’s nothing new, but sometimes that isn’t a bad thing.

To be honest the sound quality isn’t amazing. It basically sounds like a really good demo recording. The bands sound managing to cut through the rawness though, and a lot of energy is being committed to tape. I think with a more powerful production though these guys could really crush you.

Small Town Tragedy-Strung from the Stars
(Independent, 2004)


Small Town Tragedy follow up their amazing demo with a self-released cd that really shows the band coming to the next level. The production is stronger, the songs tweaked, and the band is just destroying everything in their path.

Despite some more mellow sections, this band is mainly heavy and discordant. It’s fairly mid-tempo almost like Converge playing slower without a lot of the excess noise and experimentation. The riffs also get fairly technical, but despite being very noisy everything stays together and because of the improved production nothing is lost in the mix.

I think it’s surprising that these guys manage to make their songs so memorable. Noisy and discordant bands hardly ever have memorable songs, but these guys, thanks to some great riffs and structures, manage to get the most of the songs. It’ll take a few listens, but after awhile the individual characteristics of each song begin to stand out.

This is a band that shouldn’t be unsigned. If a label doesn’t step in somewhere, there is definitely something wrong with the hardcore scene.

Into Eternity-Buried in Oblivion
(Century Media, 2004)



It’s becoming hard to really do anything to be unique in metal these days. Into Eternity manage to be unique with something very simple. They bridge the gap between black/death and progressive metal, playing each still just as proficiently and switching between the two with ease.

I guess a good description would be a cross between Dream Theater and black/death. They have technical, odd signature riffs that give way to melodic choruses just as much as they do sneer filled extreme metal. It’s one of the few bands when you really don’t know what is going to come next. They don’t have a formula that they follow. Each song is best described as a journey. You know where you are going but you don’t know what you’ll meet along the way.

Guitar players will definitely eat this up. Guitar solos are all over this album. The flurry of notes is almost enough to make your head spins at times, but they are actually quite restrained during the actual riffs of the songs. They save the overindulgence for the solo parts mainly, and let me tell you these guys can play, and aren’t afraid to do just that.

Originality in metal is hard to come by. I can guarantee however that even the most jaded metal fan will find Into Eternity to be a refreshing listen.

Enforsaken-The Forever Endeavor
(Olympic, 2004)


Enforsaken might be from Chicago, but it wouldn’t be hard to convince someone that they were from Sweden. The bands style is a combination of Swedish melody, thrash and a bit of the US death metal sound.

The vocals are surprisingly melodic however. They are generally more of a snarled approach, but clean choruses and the odd clean vocal line pop up quite often throughout. Even the harsher vocals really aren’t trying to be as extreme as possible. They are definitely heavy, but still easily deciphered.

These guys are really bringing a unique take on this genre. They aren’t incredibly fast, and offer up many melodic yet technical riffs that really don’t borrow from any of the bigger melodic death metal bands. It’s not to say that they are without comparison, it’s just that they aren’t following the rules of the genre straight down to the last letter.

Fans of melodic death metal that isn’t all about speed will definitely be into Enforsaken. They have an approach that relies on atmosphere as much as it does crushing guitars. It’s definitely nice to see a band that isn’t content being another At the Gates clone.

Most Precious Blood-Our Lady of Annihilation
(Trustkill, 2004)


Hardcore music has always been rather metallic in sound. MPB bring out elements of classic NYHC but interject a lot more heaviness, and also a new found melodic streak that really does a lot to emphasis the choruses on certain songs.

Chugging riffs are quite common for this band but they aren’t necessarily the typical ones we’ve all heard before. They have a unique slant and really offer more then one note and a crappy lead guitar ending. You’ll also find a few faster songs where the band really shows off where they come from. I like the faster songs, but it’s the slower, heavier songs with the melodic choruses that really help the band show off their originality.

One of the biggest surprises comes in the form of Funeral Photography which shows off a doom influenced. The opening riff minus the vocals actually reminds me of the band Grief. The vocals are pure MPB though. It’s a song that really makes you realize how varied this album really is. Each track makes sense alone or in the context of the album. This is an album that has absolutely no filler.

MPB have proven that they can come back with a new singer and not even lose a step along the way. This is above and beyond what they have done in the past and is an album that every hardcore fan needs to hear.