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A Day to Remember – ‘And Their Name Was Treason’ (Indianola) 

Bands like this are why I’m always scared to listen to anything labeled “metal core”.  What we have here is a mix of generic death metal and hardcore with generic modern pop punk and emo.  I guess that’s appealing to some people, judging by the fact that bands like Atreyu are all the rage with the Hot Topic crowd at the moment, but it doesn’t do much for me.  If the idea of mixing Hoobastank or Blink 182 and some Cannibal Corpse rip-off sounds like a good idea to you, I guess you’ll think this is pretty smokin’.  Personally, I hated every single minute of every single track (and yes, I did listen to the whole album).  Yeah, Strength in Numbers (who I reviewed quite favorably) had some tendencies in this direction, but it was only on a few songs and nowhere close to this degree.  Anyway, the production is impeccable, the musicianship is solid, and the band can write some hooks.  And when they keep the death metal influences in check, as on “A Second Glance”, they’re more than ready to be MTV darlings.  They even look cute and harmless.  No offense to fans of the style (okay, maybe some offense), but I hope this kind of shit dies off fast.  (Bob Ignizio)

The Fair Sex – ‘The Dark Ages’ (Van Richter) 

This is a two disc collection of tracks from goth/electronic/industrial band The Fair Sex.  The material is drawn from the band's early self released and out of print albums circa the late eighties and early nineties, and this is often apparent in the production which is a bit thin by modern standards.  The guitars also have that distinctly eighties sound (think Duran Duran).  It may not be as skullcrushing as Rammstein, but give 'em credit.  They were mixing the six strings with the electronics as early as 1985 when the band first got together.  I’m sure those more heavily into the genre are already familiar with The Fair Sex, but this is my first exposure to them.  Both sonically and thematically they share a lot with Skinny Puppy, ‘Land of Rape and Honey’ period Ministry, KMFDM, Alien Sex Fiend, etc., with the Puppy comparisons being the most pronounced.  Qualitywise, most of this isn’t quite on a par with those aforementioned artists, but a few tracks like the gothy “Hanging in Kareyth” and the dark industrial “Faceless” are.  Sound quality varies a bit from track to track due to these songs coming from different releases, but not distractingly so.  Probably not for the casual dabbler in the genre, but if you live for gloomy music with danceable beats you should add this to your collection.  (Bob Ignizio)

Foreknown – ‘Calm Seas Don't Make Sailors’ (Blood & Ink) 

Foreknown is another Christian Death Metal band, but not nearly as good as Blessed By A Broken Heart.  Actually, I haven't listened to this one as much, because the singer absolutely blows it for me.  The guy sounds just like the Tazmanian Devil from the Bugs Bunny cartoons.  Really.  I kept expecting him to say "rabbit" at the end of every line.  The music, while competent, doesn't really make up for Taz on vocals.  It’s pretty much retread San Francisco thrash (Testament, Slayer, the usual suspects) played by the numbers.  Christian kids who want to annoy the piss out of their families while not angering old Jehovah may like this, but I didn't.  The Heathen Hippy gives it one cartoon demon.  (Taliesin Govannon)

Groundcrew – ‘Civilizations’ (Self-Released) 

Groundcrew is a Canadian band that plays Heavy Metal...no sub-genre, no bullshit.  This is good, old-fashioned head-banging music reminiscent of post "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" (NWOBHM) bands like old Overkill and even NWOBHM alumni like Tokyo Blade.  Listening to this CD really brought back my days of listening to classic underground bands like Lizzy Borden, Omen, and Angel Witch.  No mere retro act, however, Groundcrew takes the mantle of these stunning influences and takes it one step further.  A little post 90's thrash influence keeps the rhythms interesting, and makes this one band to watch.  The songwriting is VERY promising as well.  Catchy, sing along choruses make me remember how much I miss music that anyone (and not just opera singers of hell-beasts) can sing along to.  Really, there are hooks galore on this album, from the guitars right through the vocals, and that makes ‘Civilizations’ one hellaciously listenable album.  The production is a wee bit tinny, but worlds ahead what their influences often achieved "in the day".  The Heathen Hippy gives it four banging heads.  Visit the band's website for more info.  (Taliesin Govannon)