Rag Men-S/T
(Eulogy, 2004)

When I first read about Rag Men I was pretty excited to hear what the output of this super group would be. By super group, I mean they have members and ex-members from various well known hardcore. You have people from Merauder, Earth Crisis, ex-Hatebreed, and Skarhead. So it’s pretty safe to assume that these guys know how to play hardcore, and after one listen you’ll realize this album is pretty much the best NYHC influenced album the scene has produced in a long time.

To get it out of the way right away, this isn’t a record based around speed. While there are a few speedy moments, this is mainly built around mid-tempo mosh riffs. You can almost say that the sound is a collection of their former bands sounds. The only thing missing would be the dissonance that Earth Crisis utilized in their sound. You have pounding riffs that groove ala Skarhead, more metallic riffs ala Merauder, and faster moments that bring to mind Hatebreed. Leaving it at that would be selling it short though, because it’s more then the sum of it’s part. It actually is a unique sounding band.

I was surprised to read that the band recorded this themselves. It sounds phenomenal. The guitars sound is thick, and powerful. A lot of hardcore I’ve heard lately has suffered from terrible guitar tone. It’s either overly distorted or too weak sounding. Not here though! The drums are powerful and natural, leaving it very easy to follow what is going on. Over all, it’s an ideal production for the band. It’s heavy, but still incredibly tight.

Fans of NYHC should stop what they are doing right now and run out and buy this album. Chances are you already know about this band, and probably do own it already though!

Raised Fist-Dedication
(Epitaph/Burning Heart, 2002)

Raised Fist to me has always been the quintessential Swedish hardcore band. The bands music is as poweful as a 747 plowing into the ground with a full tank of fuel, yet it's still melodic and catchy. It's the perfect balance between uncontrolled speed and catchy breakdowns. If you thought the Raised Fist you've heard already was fast, wait until you hear Dedication.

Raised Fist is dedicated to hardcore. They have stuck to their guns for their entire career and are only getting better with each passing album. This album for the most part is blisteringly fast, yet the band does have many slower sections to break up the speed. The slower moments are incredibly heavy and infectious. I could definitely see much havoc being created in the mosh pit due to most of these riffs. The band has always been about going from the fast to the breakdowns and back again and this formula has reached it's peak on Dedication. The songs flow wonderfully, and the album is pretty much over before you know it. It's not incredibly short either. It's 35 minutes long. It just goes by fast due to the incredible amount of energy the band manages to committ to tape. It also doesn't hurt that there is no filler on this album what so ever. It's one amazing song after another.

This is an awesome sounding record. The guitars are beefy and very in your face. The riffs are all very easily heard, and even with an incredibly heavy guitar sound, it's still crystal clear. The drums are very punchy, and the snare drum manages to stay audible even in the most blindingly fast moments. Everything sounds great, and this is an album that you will definitely want to put to 11 while listening to.

If you liked Rasied Fist in the past you'll definitely be able to get into this. It sounds pretty similar to what they've done in the past, only better. Which says a lot, considering I think some of their older albums are some of the greatest hardcore albums of all time.

Remembering Never-Women and Children Die First
(Ferret, 2004)

I picked up the first Remembering Never cd just because of the interesting album cover and it was on Ferret so how could I go wrong? That album hit me like a ten ton sledge hammer to the skull, but this new album is hands down more destructive and aggressive. So if the debut was like a sledge hammer to the skull, this would be comparable to a wrecking ball to the chest.

Essentially the sound of the band hasn’t changed all that much. They have left out a lot of the melody and clean guitar riffs, instead opting to up the heaviness. Trust me when I say this, this is possibly the heaviest album ever recorded by a hardcore band. The chugging metalcore style riffs are just insanely heavy, which thanks to a powerful production really comes through. This is also probably the fastest material the band has written. The debut had some faster moments, but this is more akin to what you’d expect from a hardcore punk band speed wise. Essentially what you could say is that Remembering Never have taken their sound, tweaked it and come back with one hell of an album.

The production on this album is simply crushing. First instincts I had was to crank this on first listen and I was damn near knocked flat on my ass when the cd started. Few bands can really get a sense of urgency across on a recording. RN managed to do that on this album. It doesn't just sound like a band going through the motions, you can tell they are 110% into this.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say this is going to be one of the top hardcore albums of 2004 and possibly of all time. It’s albums like this that makes me excited to see what else sees the light of day over the course of the year. If you want to hear the next kings of heavy hardcore pick up this album!

Roy-Tacomatose
(Initial, 2003)

It’s always best to go into a new band with no idea what to expect. Prior to receiving this cd I hadn’t even heard the name Roy. Trust me, this might be the first time you’re hearing the name Roy too, but it definitely won’t be the last. Fans of honest and straight forward rock music with lots of pop sensibilities will definitely fall in love with this EP. When I say pop, don’t assume that I mean pop/punk, because this is about as far from pop/punk as you can get. It’s quite the opposite in every way actually. From the layout to the production, it’s just a straight up rock record with a flair for catchy unique songwriting ideas.

Comparisons are a bit of a tough one. You’re probably expecting me to compare it to the bands every rock bands get compared to, but I can’t. These guys are definitely more of a Seattle influenced bands or stuff from Sub Pop in the early 90’s. It somewhat reminds me of bands like Dinosaur JR, or Sebadoh, yet at the same time it has just as much in common with some of the most straight up rock you’ve ever heard.

The production of the record is fairly dry sounding, but it’s tight and has enough grit to back the almost working class nature of the band. These guys are fairly stripped down, so don’t expect 10,000 layers of vocals or guitars. Just a couple of guitars, and a vocal track or two. Fans of big budget production will definitely be disappointed and I think that’s what the band would want. These guys are all about the songs. If it sounds good on a 4 track then so be it. It’s the songs that matter the most, not the amount of layers.

So you heard that this band has members of Botch in it? Well, you might as well forget about that, ’cause these guys don’t have a single thing in common with Botch. Aside from the fact that both bands are original at least. If you like rock music with honesty and integrity, Roy is one of the best around right now.

Rue-s/t
(Shifty, 2003)

I was expecting stoner rock but what I got was a fucking masterpiece that combines elements of stoner rock, metal and even hardcore. It’s like Acid Bath, Integrity and Grief hanging out and getting high together. That’s what Rue sounds like to my ears and damn my ears are liking what they hear.

Slow, driving riffs are the main staple of the Rue style. You have a lot of mid-tempo and even a few uptempo sections but for the most part this is slow with screaming vocals. The guitar riffs have a bluesy flair to them at times which is definitely where I hear the stoner rock influence coming in. It’s not overdone though, as most of the riffs are simple yet effective power chord riffs that are incredibly heavy yet equally memorable. Vocally this is also a memorable album. For the most part it’s screaming, but there is also some out there clean singing and some odd spoken bits. The clean singing is definitely where I hear a lot of Acid Bath influence.

The production is pretty much perfect for this style of music. The guitars are heavy and loud in the mix. The drums are natural sounding and are well heard holding the whole sound together quite effectively. The vocals are pretty much at the perfect volume. They don’t hide anything underneath and are easily audible. I guess I would have wished for a louder bass guitar in the mix though. It’s audible but could have helped make the production even more powerful.

I’m not sure if I’d say these guys are really doing anything new, but damn are they good at what they do. Like I said earlier this sounds like a cross between Acid Bath, Integrity and Grief, if that sounds interesting to you definitely check these guys out. Check out the interview on the site to learn more about Rue.