Shiver – ‘Last Rides Of The Midway’ (Da’Core
Records)
I
liked this disc right from the start. It’s nice to see that there is still some
good punk music out there. This is the real thing, not that pop punk stuff.
These guys are fast, loud and hardcore. They are musically better that most of
the old school punk bands but that is the only real difference from the classic
punks. “Rescue Me”, the first track, reminded me musically of early Dayglo
Abortions only with less distortion and played better. One of my favorite tracks
is “Another Day”. It has a good Suicidal Tendencies influence. The vocalist,
Bruce Boul, sounds like a more melodic D. Boon from the Minutemen. The disc is
only 40 minutes long, which is a good thing. Just because you have 76 minutes
or so to fill doesn’t mean you have to. It’s good to see Shiver release only
the good stuff and not a bunch of filler. These Pittsburgh punks are a good
extension of the early hardcore that came out of the L.A. area. I think The
Circle Jerks, Black Flag and the other bands I mentioned would be proud of them.
Check this disc out. (James Snyder)
This is the kind of
stuff I should like, but it just ain’t grabbing me. I love a band with a
schtick, especially if that schtick involves horror or sci-fi. I love eighties
new wave/punk with slightly off key female vocals, space rock, and trashy garage
rock, and there’s elements of all that in Space Vacuum’s sound. The
musicianship is fine for the kind of stuff this band is doing, and the
production is decent. It’s not bad, and with a good stage show I’m sure this
band would be fun to catch live. Where Space Vacuum is lacking, in my opinion,
is the songwriting department. The vocal hooks are so-so at best, and the music
doesn’t offer enough of interest to make up for that shortcoming. So as not to
be completely negative, I did like a the more rocking “Warlock” and “Fury”, and
the Lush/Cocteau Twins-like “Plastic Planet People” and “Damage”. Those tracks
show the band has potential, but with 8 other songs on here that’s not enough
for me to give ‘Starcade’ a recommendation. (Bob Ignizio)
Combine
a healthy portion of Aerosmith and AC/DC, a little Molly Hatchet and maybe just
a touch of Motorhead, and you’ve got the basic recipe for this album. Nothin’
too fancy, just nice simple comfort rock. Absolutely no attempt is made to
“update” the band’s seventies arena rock sound. This could have fallen through
a time warp from 1976. The songs are catchy (none more so than album opener
“Ready to Go”), the band rocks, and the vibe is fun. I won’t be surprised at
all if this breaks through to the mainstream, although whether the band will
have the staying power of a Black Crowes or fade into obscurity like a
Buckcherry remains to be seen. For now, at least, there’s this album. It isn’t
the second coming or anything, but it’s pretty damn good for what it is. (Bob
Ignizio)
Ten 33 – ‘Nightmare on Gracie Street’
(Blood & Ink)
Okay, there’s no doubt
this is kind of formulaic. While I’m not sure if they were direct influences or
not, this reminds me of early Suicidal Tendencies, Crumbsuckers, Ludichrist, and
other eighties hardcore/crossover bands. So while there’s not a whole lot of
surprises on ‘Nightmare on Gracie Street’, it surprises in the one area that
counts: it’s actually good. Sure, I can tell exactly when the breakdowns are
going to come in, but that’s okay. This blistering old school hardcore done
right. Lots of killer riffing, strong vocals, and solid if formulaic
songwriting. A close look at the lyrics shows these guys to be a Christian
band. While a few songs deal with religion, the band avoids preachiness and I’d
say this album is accessible even if you’re a heathen like me. Ten 33 loses a
few points for originality, but I’d still consider this well worth picking up if
you’re a fan of the style. (Bob Ignizio)
I
liked this disc right from the start. It’s nice to see that there is still some
good punk music out there. This is the real thing, not that pop punk stuff.
These guys are fast, loud and hardcore. They are musically better that most of
the old school punk bands but that is the only real difference from the classic
punks. “Rescue Me”, the first track, reminded me musically of early Dayglo
Abortions only with less distortion and played better. One of my favorite tracks
is “Another Day”. It has a good Suicidal Tendencies influence. The vocalist,
Bruce Boul, sounds like a more melodic D. Boon from the Minutemen. The disc is
only 40 minutes long, which is a good thing. Just because you have 76 minutes
or so to fill doesn’t mean you have to. It’s good to see Shiver release only
the good stuff and not a bunch of filler. These Pittsburgh punks are a good
extension of the early hardcore that came out of the L.A. area. I think The
Circle Jerks, Black Flag and the other bands I mentioned would be proud of them.
Check this disc out. (James Snyder)
This is the kind of
stuff I should like, but it just ain’t grabbing me. I love a band with a
schtick, especially if that schtick involves horror or sci-fi. I love eighties
new wave/punk with slightly off key female vocals, space rock, and trashy garage
rock, and there’s elements of all that in Space Vacuum’s sound. The
musicianship is fine for the kind of stuff this band is doing, and the
production is decent. It’s not bad, and with a good stage show I’m sure this
band would be fun to catch live. Where Space Vacuum is lacking, in my opinion,
is the songwriting department. The vocal hooks are so-so at best, and the music
doesn’t offer enough of interest to make up for that shortcoming. So as not to
be completely negative, I did like a the more rocking “Warlock” and “Fury”, and
the Lush/Cocteau Twins-like “Plastic Planet People” and “Damage”. Those tracks
show the band has potential, but with 8 other songs on here that’s not enough
for me to give ‘Starcade’ a recommendation. (Bob Ignizio)
Combine
a healthy portion of Aerosmith and AC/DC, a little Molly Hatchet and maybe just
a touch of Motorhead, and you’ve got the basic recipe for this album. Nothin’
too fancy, just nice simple comfort rock. Absolutely no attempt is made to
“update” the band’s seventies arena rock sound. This could have fallen through
a time warp from 1976. The songs are catchy (none more so than album opener
“Ready to Go”), the band rocks, and the vibe is fun. I won’t be surprised at
all if this breaks through to the mainstream, although whether the band will
have the staying power of a Black Crowes or fade into obscurity like a
Buckcherry remains to be seen. For now, at least, there’s this album. It isn’t
the second coming or anything, but it’s pretty damn good for what it is. (Bob
Ignizio)
Okay, there’s no doubt
this is kind of formulaic. While I’m not sure if they were direct influences or
not, this reminds me of early Suicidal Tendencies, Crumbsuckers, Ludichrist, and
other eighties hardcore/crossover bands. So while there’s not a whole lot of
surprises on ‘Nightmare on Gracie Street’, it surprises in the one area that
counts: it’s actually good. Sure, I can tell exactly when the breakdowns are
going to come in, but that’s okay. This blistering old school hardcore done
right. Lots of killer riffing, strong vocals, and solid if formulaic
songwriting. A close look at the lyrics shows these guys to be a Christian
band. While a few songs deal with religion, the band avoids preachiness and I’d
say this album is accessible even if you’re a heathen like me. Ten 33 loses a
few points for originality, but I’d still consider this well worth picking up if
you’re a fan of the style. (Bob Ignizio)