Antigamma-Discomfort
(Selfmadegod, 2005)

Ultra harsh grindcore is what Antigamma spews forth on Discomfort. It’s blasting, noisy and really borders on being a blur. The guitar sound doesn’t allow for much to be heard, and there really is a lack of clarity. But the drumming and vocals are raging, and when the guitar cuts through the band has a sound that borders somewhere between Brutal Truth and Discordance Axis. The band has a number of odd ball moments as well, which really help break up the blast/scream/blast formula used by most grindcore bands. Definitely killer grind, although I wish the guitar sound was just a bit clearer.

To Kill-Watching You Fall
(Catalyst Records, 2005)

Hailing from Italy, To Kill play a somewhat standard version of heavy hardcore. Fast, and raging with a hint of melody, the band brings to mind a harsher version of Comeback Kid. Thankfully the band keeps things concise and doesn’t interject any metalcore influences. They keep things short and to the point, with only the odd breakdown slowing down the tempo. The production isn’t amazing, and this is fairly basic material, but hardcore isn’t about reinventing the wheel and this is a enjoyable listen.

The Hurt Process-A Heartbeat Behind
(Victory, 2005)

With a sound just a bit more metallic then their last album, A Heartbeat Behind is a heavy, and melodic album that doesn’t really offer anything new to the genre. That said it’s still a very easy album to enjoy. The clean vocal lines are extremely catchy, and somewhat similar to the latest Atreyu the band has added some very cool guitar solos to the mix. It’s nothing that hasn’t been done before, but fans of the band in the past will enjoy this album.

Bridge to Solace-Kingdom of the Dead
(Let it Burn Records, 2005)

Somewhere in between thrash and hardcore, Bridge to Solace are fast, and furious but really manage to avoid sounding cliché. Melodic Swedish riffing is more popular then ever, but the band manages to really do unique things with the style, and the amount of energy they pour into the music makes it hard to ignore. There may be a few moments that sound familiar, and the chugging riffs are pretty standard at times, but the furious energy makes it all sound amazing. Fans of Darkest Hour will be all over this band.

Barcode-Showdown
(Nuclear Blast, 2005)

Hardcore isn’t exactly what you’d expect from Nuclear Blast, but Barcore is fast, and old school hardcore that really stands out on the label. There is a definite thread of NYHC running through the bands sound and fans of Madball or even Agnostic Front would have little trouble getting into this. It’s nice to see a band that can be heavy without being overly metal. The guitar sound is heavy, yet still natural sounding. Fans of old school hardcore will undoubtedly be into this.

Defleshed-Reclaim the Beat
(Candlelight, 2005)

Defleshed is the musical equivalent of a kick in the balls. It’s brutal, and knocks the wind out of you, but with Defleshed you want to come back for me. Reclaim the Beat shows Defleshed on top of their game, firing out one rapid fire classic after another. Black metal, death metal and thrash are all equally thrown into the pot and what comes out is definitely an original sound. All fans of high octane metal need to hear this album right now.

Angel City Outcasts-Let It Ride
(Thorp Records, 2005)

Although slightly held back by a busy mix, Angel City Outcasts plays a very high octane combination of rock n’ roll and punk rock. It’s fast, fun, and very easy to get into. Shades of everything from Rancid, to Social Distortion come through, but you really don’t think about comparisons while spinning the record. The lyrics are simple and easy to get into, and the music is simply put, fun. Fun seems to be missing from a lot of new bands, and hardcore was founded by bands that seemed to have a ball playing this music. It’s good to see a band bringing that back.

Bane-The Note
(Equal Vision Records, 2005)

Bane is easily one of the only bands started in the past 10 years that will go on to be considered one of the classic bands on the genre. With an amazing lyrical approach, and an original yet easy to get into approach to hardcore, Bane is in top form on The Note. It’s fast, yet still very memorable, and like always there are interesting ideas in each song that help keep each song unique. This album will give Bane many new classics to add to their much talked about live show, and it also secures the band as one of the best the genre has to offer right now.

Modern Life is War-Witness
(Deathwish, 2005)

After the unsuspected impact these guys had on the hardcore scene with their debut, the band is back with Witness, an album that totally takes them to the next level. Original, heavy, and vital, the band relights a fire in hardcore that few bands seem to have the power to light. While not extremely fast, the band is extremely powerful. Octave chords, and shouted vocals are used to great lengths and to great effect. These guys really have a unique sound and the energy committed to tape is second to none. The future of hardcore very well could rest in the hands of this band.

Kult of Azael-Te World, The Flesh, and The Devil
(Artic Music, 2005)

Kult of Azael is one of the few punishing and uncompromising black metal bands in the US. This latest album is possibly the most typical sounding album yet from the band. The production is much rawer, and the guitar tone is much more black metal sounding. I guess the productions in the past have been somewhat more death metal sounding. The song writing is still excellent though, as these are some amazing riffs to be found in these songs. Despite the production, this is an excellent black metal album.

Witchcraft-Firewood
(Candlelight, 2005)

To say this was an old sounding album would be a definite understatement. It reeks of the 70’s, and almost borders of plagiarism at times. Taking more then a few pages from Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, you probably won’t even believe that this is a new band. Is it good? Yes, but I’d rather just throw on Paranoid or 4 and listen to the real thing myself.

Myon-Ghost in Paradise
(Crash, 2005)


I can’t even tell if the singer in this band is a male or female. The name is Sami, hmm, that doesn’t help much either. To be honest, that isn’t important because the band plays boring, power metal with clichéd ideas, and nothing interesting whatsoever happening in any of the songs. What the label sees in three quarters of the bands they sign I have no idea. This is boring, and so standard that it never should have made it passed the demo stages.

Armor For Sleep-What to Do when you are Dead
(Equal Vision, 2005)

Whether you call it emo, or melodic rock, this is easily the best album the over polluted genre has ever seen. Incredibly catchy, yet still well written, this album will have you stomping your foot in no time, but you’ll still very much pay attention to the lyrics and the nuances of the songs. Add in an amazing production and this is an album that pretty much demands to be listened to, and repeatedly. It seems to get better with each listen, and pretty much needs to be listened to in its entirety. No one song really sticks out above the others, each song is of the same calibre. That is something very rare these days.

Brick Bath-American Currency
(Crash, 2005)

Despite the name being terrible, this is actually a fairly tight and thunderous album of somewhat modern sounding thrash. They actually sound a bit like Pissing Razors, which means it’s thrashy, yet there is still a lot of groove. The production is a bit on the thin side, but it’s far from being a bad sounding album. Shades of hardcore ring through from time to time, which adds a lot to the diversity of the album. A few riffs are a bit too nu-metal for me at times, but this is an album I can easily get into.

Abevance-Experience is the Words that Are Written
(Crash, 2005)

Metalcore has really gotten out of hand, yet at the same time when it is done right it’s easy to get into. Abevance might not bring anything new to the genre, but their rhythmic and abrasive approach is very easy to enjoy. There isn’t much speed here, is more mid-tempo and really focuses on rhythmic guitar lines. There are typical moments, but I’ll take this over a million bands playing the more typical Swedish guitars meets clean vocals style of metalcore so typical these days. Fans of Meshuggah or Dillinger Escape Plan might be able to get into this. It’s not as crazy as either, but it’s definitely along the same lines.

Cadacross-So Pale is the Light
(Crash, 2005)

Crash seems to think that anything melodic and from Finland will sell. Well, that is most definitely not the case, and Cadacross might not be the band to break through in the US for the label. The music is melodic, but really lacking in production values, and in general the band isn’t very tight because of the production. They have a lot of good ideas, and the execution is there, but something about the production doesn’t hold the layers together well. Fans of melodic music with harsh vocals and diverse instrumentation will want to check this out.

Wisdom in Chains-Die Young
(Spook City, 2005)

Let’s forget about the fact that these guys have members from well known hardcore bands, because this is more then good enough to stand on it’s own two feet. Old school, and fast, the band sounds somewhat like a more rock version of Sick Of It All. It’s fast most of the time, but of course they slow down things from time to time. Don’t expect typical breakdowns though, as this has very little chug at all. This is catchy, fast, and a perfect example of hardcore done right.

Strength for A Reason-Blood, Faith, Loyalty
(Spook City, 2005)

For some reason, no matter how many heavy hardcore bands there are, I just can’t get enough of the stuff. The energy, speed, and just the downright heaviness of it makes it hard to resist. Strength for A Reason doesn’t offer much new. They are fast, and furious with burly vocals and slower sections that reek of NYHC. It’s a formula that has worked in the past, and it works here. The production is a bit thin, but the energy is captured so that is a small complaint. For fans of heavy hardcore this is essential.

fordirelifesake-A Daydream Disaster
(Thorp, 2005)

I’ve dug both full-length albums from this band, but for some reason for the most part the songs on this compilation album just don’t sit well with me. The production is terrible for the most part, and the performances aren’t as spot on as they need to be. The progression is definitely evident and as the songs become newer they get a great deal better and much tighter. The point of this CD is to compile all of the bands tracks from split discs and a few compilation tracks. The first four tracks are terrible, but the rest definitely show the band beginning to find their sound.

Run Like Hell-Give ‘Em Hell
(Bad Dog Records, 2005)

Run Like Hell is a very typical band, but that definitely isn’t a bad thing. The band is a combination of street punk and hardcore, meaning it’s fast, yet still very catchy and not all that extreme. There is a definite rock vibe, filling the songs with a lot of solos and little fills. It’s definitely nothing that you haven’t heard at least a thousand times before, but it’s fits like an old shoe and is easy to keep coming back to again and again.

Arch Enemy-Doomsday Machine
(Century Media, 2005)

I wonder if I’m alone in thinking that this album is a bit of a disappointment. They just seem to have played in way too safe on this album. Gone is almost all of the speed, and the vocal approach seems rather dumbed down, staying with what they know people like. This is possibly the most melodic album yet from the band, yet there is no attempt at any clean singing. There are literally hundreds of parts that almost sound like they demand clean vocals, but to no avail. There are definitely amazing moments on here, and the guitar solos are spot on. Maybe I was expecting more, and to be honest I miss the old days of Burning Bridges. This is a good album at best.

Rufio-The Comfort of Home
(Nitro, 2005)

I’m definitely not as familiar with this band as I would like to be. I’ve heard them in the past, but this is the first full album I’ve heard from them. If people say that these guys are just another melodic punk band, they would be sorely mistaken. This is an incredibly memorable and well written album that displays amazing musicianship and a knack for thinking outside of the box. Fast, and raging one minute, somber and quiet the next, this is a well thought out and highly original album that takes a stale genre in new and exciting directions.

A Change of Pace-An Offer You Can’t Refuse
(Immortal Records, 2005)

A Change of Pace is an interesting band name, but it’s a bit ironic when you consider that the style the band plays is quite common these days. Taking obvious cues from Story of The Year and the usual bands, the band definitely doesn’t do much that hasn’t done before. That doesn’t really make this a bad album though, in fact it’s an incredibly catchy and well written album. For a debut, the band shows tremendous potential, and sure, their influences are easy to hear right now, but let’s see where they go with album #2. I bet they will come into their own sound with time.