NO FRIEND'S REVIEWS

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Agoraphobic Nosebleed / Converge: The Poacher Diaries 9/10 Relapse Records Brutal. Everything about this CD is brutally excellent from both bands music to the design and artwork for the release. The artwork is intense, most notably the back cover. The layout and inset poster all appear to be blood soaked. For the music Agoraphobic Nosebleed take the first nine tracks in which they play their crazy style of grindcore. Unlike some grind bands that get old quickly Agoraphobic Nosebleed throw in a nice mix of samples, electronics and technical super fast guitar riffs. Then tracks ten through fifteen are taken over by the chaos of Converge. The songs are filled with Converge trademark insane guitars and screamed vocals. The lyrics are all very well written. Converge also slow it down a little on two very good songs, They Stretch for Miles and Minnesota. My opinion is that this is a killer-fucking album and should be checked out by anyone into technical extreme music. Notable Tracks: Agoraphobic Nosebleed: Glass Tornado and Bed of Flies Converge: They Stretch for Miles and My great Devastator

Blood for Blood: Livin In Exile 6/10 Victory Records: This is not what I was expecting from the guys in Blood for Blood. Don’t worry they did not compromise any aggression, negativity or hatred towards the world. The first thing I noticed is this EP is distinctly more punk influenced than any other BFB release. This slight progression of style took a few listens for me to get used to, other than that this EP has a song bound to hit well with fans of older BFB releases and that is the title track. A bit of a style change but on the whole a fairly decent release. Notable Tracks: Livin In Exile and Ace of Spades (Motorhead Cover)

Boy Sets Fire: After the Eulogy 8/10 Victory Records I have not heard much of older Boy Sets Fire but from what I have heard is that their newer material is much more metal than EMO. Well I can see a fusion of both metal and EMO on this release and I think is well done, however I do like the songs with singing rather than screaming a little better. The artwork and layout design is nothing special but they do put a list of what I am guessing are websites they approve of, such as the Communist Party of the USA. Boy Sets Fire have a definite talent for creating good music and vocalist Nathan Gray has a great voice whether signing or screaming. After the Eulogy is a good album whether or not it sounds likes old Boy Sets Fire and I am sure it would appeal to a larger audience than just the EMO/HARDCORE/METAL…etc. scenes. Notable Tracks: Still waiting for the Punch line, (Compassion) as skull fragments on the wall, Rookie.

Candiria: The Process of Self Development 9/10 MIA Records WOW, Candiria never disappoint me, this is a very tight CD and continues Candirias progression as a band. In and Out of insane drum beats and down tuned heavy riffs Candiria throw in a mix of jazz, salsa, and even strait out hip hop. One listen through this CD and I knew it wouldn’t be leaving my CD player for a few days. Vocalist Charlie Coma somewhat changed his vocal style for this release changing what once were deep death metal growls are now gut wrenching screams. Also new versions of songs such as “Temple of Sickness” and others that appeared on Surrealistic Madness also appear on this release. There are also guests such as Jamie from Hatebreed and others. This is a strong release that shows many of Candiria’s skills and musical power. Notable Tracks: Work In Progress, Temple of Sickness, and Mathematics.

Cave In: Creative Eclipses 8/10 Hydra Head Records Damn! This release was really not what I was expecting but it was a good surprise. For those familiar with Cave In’s past releases such as Beyond Hypothermia or Until Your heart Stops, Creative Eclipses is nothing like them. The previously mentioned albums were heavy insane metal with tons of crazy guitar riffs and creative song structures. Creative Eclipses is more like emo combined with space rock and a tad bit of indie rock thrown in. This may sound like a terrible change to you however Cave In pull off the simple catchy space rock sound very well. The songs get stuck in my head and despite not liking it as much as the past releases I do like the songs on this one, plus any band who is willing to do a complete one eighty deserves respect in my book. A good EP, anyone should check out whether or not you liked previous Cave In albums. Notable Tracks: Luminance and Burning down the Billboards.

Chimaira: In this Present Darkness 7/10 East Coast Empire Records New Metal with strong roots in Hardcore is the best way to describe Chimaira’s style. The disc fires in to action with a brief growing soundscape soon to be pummeled in to the ground by mechanical guitar riffs reminiscent of that of Fear Factory’s. Pounding double bass drums fuse well with vocalist Mark’s many different vocal styles. He ranges from harsh screams to sung melodies. Their debut shows that with time as Chimaira progresses they will rise to the top of the New Metal Scene. My one complaint with the disc is that I feel it would have been a stronger release if the guitars were turned up a little in production. Other than that Chimaira is a great new band that holds promise. Notable Tracks: Painting the White to Grey, Lend a Hand and Empty

Fury of Five: This Time it’s Personal 6/10 Victory Records Three words, Tuff Guy Hardcore. The guys in Fury of Five have some progression since 1998’s “At War With the World.” They have played around and added a few new styles to the Fury mix such as hip-hop and strait out metal. But I am not saying that by adding any of these elements they compromised any of their attitude. There are also more parts that vocalist James sings but soon after he resorts back to his deep growls. A notable appearance from Karen Crisis on track “It’s Over” really made the CD a whole lot better for me. Bottom line Fury of Five is still as wild and hostile as ever. Notable Tracks: Hold My Own, It’s Over, and Seasons Change.

Grey Area: Fanbelt Algebra 7/10 Victory Records This is not my style at all but I through it in my CD player anyway. What I heard was a pleasant mix of new school punk (i.e. pennywise), a little dash of EMO with a little more hardcore. The CD has no deeply sung harsh vocals it is all sang. The songs are catchy and I’d have to say I enjoyed listening to them. I find it surprising that bands like Grey Area do not get more credit, the release seems to me to be completely marketable to larger audiences, however that does not take away from the release. Good strong release filled with catchy songs. Notable Tracks: Reminder, Tennessee and Rotten Eggs.

Integrity 2000 / Fear Tomorrow: Split CD 7/10 East Coast Empire Records This frantic split begins with two brutal songs by Cleveland’s finest Integrity 2000. The two songs are distinctly more metal than any of Integrity’s past material. The songs also have interesting samples in them if you listen closely enough. Dwid and company have not lost their creativity and heaviness and are showing no signs of loosing it anytime soon. The same goes for the second half’s Fear Tomorrow. For those of you unfamiliar to Fear Tomorrow, they are a great band built from the ashes of Follow Through. Fear Tomorrow play a technical style of hardcore often times compared to old Integrity. On this split they pull off two new songs plus a re-recorded version of “the Wretched.” The lyrics are also very well written for the track Everything. On the whole this is a great split that you should check out if you’re a fan of the bands or just a fan of heavy hardcore/metal styles you might like this CD. Notable Tracks: Everything and Project Regenesis

Shelter: When 20 Summers Pass 5/10 Victory Records This release in my opinion sounds like poppy old school hardcore, sort of like Civ or something you would find on Revelation Records. The CD keeps the same style throughout and nothing overly new or exciting sticks out at me. Some of the songs are catchy but this is just not my style and I don’t really care for this release. For the style of music it is well produced and if you like more punk oriented Hardcore than this is for you. Notable Tracks: When 20 Summers Pass and If There’s Only Today.

Shutdown: Something to Prove 6/10 Victory Records Not bad. This is a good hardcore release. It is fast and energetic, but a problem rises in the fact that this CDEP is short, right when I find myself getting in to a song or the CD for that matter it ends. The lyrics are well written positive hardcore lyrics, Shutdown do a good job of fusing together new and old school hardcore. Shutdown if not already will soon be the new face of New York Hardcore. Fans of Shutdown and Hardcore in general will most likely get into this release. Notable Tracks: Intro and The Judged

Snapcase: Designs for Automation 7/10 Victory Records To be honest, I like this release by snapcase. After a few listens I was hooked. They continue to play the positive " be your own person" style that they have played in the past. But it is not the same as 1997’s "progression through unlearning". Their style has progressed to a higher level of musicianship and in message. The time spent between albums or touring with such large acts as the deftones may have influenced their musical growth. Whatever it was, they put together a good album. Lots of bands don’t really give a message or give a negative one. It is nice once and a while to see a positive message, especially when it is "BE YOURSELF". Something that is frequently a problem for people. Notable Tracks: Bleeding Orange and Typecast Modulator

More Reviews will be up shortly, this is all i could put up today due to time limitations.