Man, if I hadn’t known better (and without looking at what disc I just threw into the stereo) I would have sworn that this was a Jamie Jasta (Hatebreed) spin-off. While the music on Arma Gathas‘ debut Dead To This World is firmly rooted in early 90′s Hatebreed style hardcore, there are some heavy thrash and metalcore leanings to be found throughout the disc.

Featuring slick guitar work from Simon Füllemann (Cataract) and Marc Niedersberg the album is chock full of catchy riffs that would be happy on Burn My Eyes-era Machine Head, but with bit more hardcore influences thrown in. The rhythm section know how to lay down some burly beats and up-tempo gallops, driving the dueling guitars deep into your skull. Vocally, Ché Snelting (Born From Pain) has a delivery and cadence very similar to that of Hatebreed’s Jamie Jasta. I don’t believe that he’s going out of his way to ape the style, but I’ll be damned if it’s not confusing at times.

Overall, Dead To This World is one of those albums that’s not going to end up on many year-end lists, but it’s easy as hell to get caught up in. There is plenty of groove, aggressiveness and catchy sing along sections with the choruses that you can’t help but have fun with this one.

Antagonist
Arma Gathas open up the album with this brief instrumental that’s rather subdued and has a sound clip over top of gentle guitars. It’s an interesting track since it sets up a bit of atmosphere that’s bleak and sort of goes with bludgeoning hardcore/thrash that fills the remainder of the album.

The Rise And Fall
“The Rise and Fall” open up ferociously with a big scream and massive guitars, waking you from the gentle slumber that the opening instrumental lulled you into. There’s a great groove permeating this song. And dammit, those vocals are so uncannily similar to Jasta’s (especially the vocal patterns) that it sort of throws you off track at first. Once you get past that the rest of the album is pretty damned decent.

Losing Hope
“Losing Hope” transitions in seamlessly from the previous song, but hits a great deal harder with a more ferocious vocal delivery that’s accompanied by driving riffs and bestial drum work. Man, this is a heavy song. There’s a pretty slick lead at 1:27 that you should definitely check out. Overall, this one definitely has that Hatebreed sound, but it’s still enjoyable as hell.

The Lies Of Man
The opening riffs on this next one are catchy and lead into a decent groove as the vocals arrive on the scene. There’s a bit of a lull in the attack just before the two minute mark that then jumps into groove filled riffs and drum work. Not a bad song, but not nearly as aggressive as “Losing Hope.”

The Damage Done
“The Damage Done” sounds like a thrashed up song from Hatebreed’s Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire. It’s a bleak, ferocious and aggressive song that has plenty of opportunity for you to get into it and shout along with the chorus. This is a burly track that is sure to move a few circle pits. The track dissolves into a mass of noise as it fades into the next instrumental.

Liberate Me
“Liberate Me” is a relatively tame 1:22 long song with moody guitars and a string arrangement that comes in during the second half. I’ll be skipping it in the future.

Depopulation
Now this is what I’m talking about. This is one of those songs that dark, brooding and heavy as hell. It’s got thick groove driven guitars, a catchy chorus you can shout along with and a bruising pace that’s sure to snap a few necks. The lead around 1:50 fits in nicely, as well.

New Saviour
“New Saviour” has all sorts of layered vocals that add a new dimension to the band’s overall sound. This is a pretty beefy track with pile driving drums and driving rhythms. It’s got a bit more of that early Machine Head sound that’s a nice addition, as well. The end of the song is quite epic in feel.

Generation Doom
After that rather interesting ending to “New Saviour,” the guys gets down to business with “Generation Doom,” a thrashing, menacing song. The vocals on this one have seen a shift as well. I’m not sure if it’s a guest vocalist or if Snelting is just being more authentic with his own voice, but I’ll be damned if I don’t prefer this style so much better. Overall, this is easily one of the best (if not the best) songs on the album. It’s got a more metal vibe to it and is what I would love to hear more of from the band.

Protagonist
This is the last instrumental on the album and quite honestly probably the most poorly timed one. It absolutely kills the momentum that “Generation Doom” had built up. On a side note, the sound clip used was also recently employed on Mr. Death’s Detached From Live.

God’s Wrath
After that brief interlude, the band gets back into the metal tinged hardcore beat down. “God’s Wrath” also sees the revised vocal presence that still reaches into the Jasta realm of deliveries, but not too much. There’s a good deal of groove flowing through this monster of a song.

Constant Hunt For Blood
I’m digging the overall feel of this next track as the lead work is overlayed on top of some burly riffs. Once the guys settle in, the pace is ramped up with bruising drum work and driving riffs. The vocals are delivered aggressively and with plenty of vehemence as the song progresses.

Our Final Breath – Our Last Goodbye
The final track starts off with distant, muted guitars and drums for the first minute or so before coming up to a more upfront volume along with the vocals. The main riff that weaves in and out of the burlier moments of the song is catchy and quite memorable, adding a bit of solemn melody to the mix. Hot damn, we finally get to hear some more variety in the vocals with the addition of some ragged screams and deeper, more guttural growls. Talk about saving the best for last! I’d love to hear more of this stuff on the band’s next release — fucking awesome.

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Additional Notes:
n/a

Karloff is a Ft. Wayne, IN based straight-edge band that plays some seriously vicious d-beat influenced hardcore. The band’s first EP, Bled Dry, is a DIY effort (the dudes formed their own label to release it) that straddles a few genres in the seven short tracks it tries to restrain.

Blending that hardcore base with influences of grind and punk, these dudes hit hard and heavy with thick bass, bruising guitars and beefy drum work. Vocally, there’s usually a couple of dudes shouting their balls off at you, but for the most part it settles in a mid-range raspy shout. The EP is short (like an EP should be), but packs a solid punch to the ribs.

Suicide By Fire
The opening track is the longest, starting off with thudding bass and nicely timed riffs that build to a chugging swell as the drums come in. The pace is pretty slow for the most part, but that quickly changes at the one minute mark as the guys throw it into over drive with a quickened rhythm and punk tinged, thrashing guitars. The vocals are harsh and direct in its delivery.

Desolation
I dig the grinding opening to this next song as the guys let loose with a flurry of activity from every one. The gang vocals and thick bass will eave you drooling and bruised for more — also offering a good opportunity to shout along with the band.

Graves
I love the bass tones that the band is throwing around in this EP. It’s thick and solid, giving the rest of the band a rumbling foundation to build off of. There’s a bit of a stoner vibe to this song around the :35 mark that is a bit odd for straight-edge dudes, but it’s a nice touch and keeps the EP fresh.

Bled Dry
The chill opening to the title track will definitely catch you off guard. The smooth, subtle rhythm slowly builds into a churning mass of riffs around the :40 mark as the vocals come in. The overall tone is thick and monolithic. Karloff have done a nice job adding in some different influences outside of what you would expect from a group that primarily plays bruising hardcore.

Dissent
“Dissent” is a grinding, power-violence monstrosity of a song even though it lasts a mere minute or so. The opening is furious and messy as hell, but works real well for the song as the guys shift into thrashing guitars and an up-tempo bludgeoning. The vocals are vicious and in-your-face.

Dreams and Nightmares
Seriously, the bass on this EP has a great presence in each track. “Dreams and Nightmares” is no different as the thudding bass drives along relentlessly as decent riffing and steady drums keep the momentum flowing. There’s a much darker tone to this song, especially around the 1:15 mark with some beefy riff work.

Faithless
“Faithless” starts off slowly with some solid bass and steady drums but settles into a trading vocals delivery with guitar hits. There’s definitely a whole lot of head banging and fist pumping groove in the sludgier tone of this final track. There pace picks up just after the one minute mark with a mid-tempo rhythm and chugging guitars, but then takes a turn to the dark side with some beat-down riffs as the tone becomes more violent. This is definitely a bruising way to end a pretty damned good EP.

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Additional Notes:
N/A

Pissed off, agitated and despondent — Dangers deliver their commentary on society with more aggression and vehemence than I’ve heard in quite some time. Messy, Isn’t It? is chock full of discordant guitars, barbaric drums and a vocal delivery that is raw, tortured and honest, even as the lyrics cut to the bone like a blunt edged ax.

The 19 tracks on the band’s sophomore effort take up just over 36 minutes in duration. That’s 19 songs, averaging under 2 minutes a piece, delivered with vehemence, rawness and a directness that should raise some eyebrows. While most of the songs reside in the hardcore realms, the band does a great job bringing in all sorts of influences into the mix to keep things fresh, on edge and ready to throw down at the drop of a hat.

Stay-At-Home Mom
The opening track starts off rather subdued, but eventually crests like a tsunami of discordant riffs and raw vocals. The pace is fairly slow which makes the harsh vocal delivery that much more in your face. The track swells at all the right points and really does a great job as a first introduction to the band.

I’ll Clap When I’m Impressed
This next one is decidedly more uptempo and unrelenting with animalistic drumming and driving guitars. The vocals are angst filled and raw, layering nicely to create a great juxtaposition. The overall tone of this one is much darker, tinged with a bit of bleakness. There are some nicely crafted and doomy riffs added into the mix. I love the feel of chaos that the multiple vocal deliveries give to the band’s sound.

Pyramid Of Empties
More uptempo goodness follows suit with this next song. After a bit of memorable guitar work, the guys settle into their multi-tiered vocals chaos as the drummer does his best to beat his way through the center of the Earth. Despite the raw and aggressive nature of the band’s delivery, there’s actually a pretty decent groove flowing through this one, well, that is until the massive riffs to end out the song.

Saved By The Buoyancy Of Citrus
“Saved By The Buoyancy Of Citrus” is a raucous song with plenty of manic drums, thick bass and reverb. This one will roll over you like an out-of-control semi in the middle of rush hour traffic. Hell yeah!

Check, Please
Man, this next one is all over the place initially — chaos everywhere. Once the guys settle into a “groove,” the track continues along it’s one way course with caustic, driving guitars, aggressively paced vocals and manic drums. There is a nice ebb and flow to the song as the band collapses in upon itself with less aggressive sequences before ramping up again to tear you a new one.

Opposable
At the request of the lead shouter, the bass thunders along with raw screams for the first 30 seconds or so while guitars pop up hear and there. The riff work that follows is catchy as hell and instantly memorable as the harsh vocals continue along with steady drum work. This may be one of the slower songs on the album, but it’s still quite powerful and well written.

Cure For Cancer
Classic punk guitar work and up tempo drumming gets this next one moving along nicely. The guys do a great job allowing the shorter songs to breathe and become an entity of their own without overwhelming the listener with more than they can handle — often resorting to minimal music behind the caustic vocals.

Cure For AIDS
This one is dark and disturbing as fuck with layered vocals and next to no music for the first 20 second or so. It’s a menacingly simple song. When the riffs finally do arrive around 1:15 they are massive and direct, joining the vocal patterns nicely.

Straight As She Wants To Be
Holy shit! There’s a great grind influence in the rhythms of this next track as the band jumps from manic blast to manic blast and back again, all in a short 26 seconds.

Under The Affluence
“Under The Affluence” builds up slowly to rapid, thunderous drumming and a thrash-like vibe as the guitars and vocals get down to business. This is a violent, blood pumping ride that ends with you neck-deep in a full body cast.

Teenage Porno Hunter
The thick tone that ends the previous song fades in smoothly to this next track with distant guitars that come to the forefront about 30 seconds into the song. The vocals follow shortly there after just before the one minute mark as the drums also announce their presence. The rest of the song is brief, yet powerful.

Goliath
“Goliath” picks the pace up once again with driving hardcore riffing and drum work. It’s a pretty straightforward track that only lets up once during a brief lull in the storm for some emphasis on the vocals. The song ends violently with layered vocals and driving guitars.

(Messy, Isn’t It?)
The title track has some bluesy horn elements, distant thunder sound effects and bluesy piano that fills up the full minute and a half.

Bottom Of The 9th Ward
“Bottom Of The 9th Ward” exits the chill blues bar vibe and enters with desolate and desperate tones that sort of remind of a slower Adamantium. There’s a good deal of soul and feeling thrown into the vocal delivery, as well as backing female vocals that completely change the overall feel of the band into something more than just your average hardcore act.

Tarantula Type
After that more melancholy song, the guys in Dangers get back down to business with this fairly straightforward, fist pumping hardcore track. “Tarantula Type” is another song that’s got a few touches of Adamantium in the mix, most notably along the thick bass lines. The explosion after the one minute mark with dual vocals and thrashing guitars is sweet as hell.

What Goes Up
“What Goes Up” is a violent burst of frenetic drumming and raw vocals. There are more tempo changes in this short song than found on most of the album as the band shifts from throttling powerviolence to more groove oriented rhythms and back again. The kids singing “America the Beautiful” is symbolic of something, I’m sure.

No Vonneguts, No Glory
The aggression levels are kept hight with this next song as thick riffs and manic drumming open up the song. The track as a stop/start sort of feel to it that’s a nice change up, as well.

(Love Poem)
This next track encompasses several nice folks reciting Richard Brautigan’s poem on top of one another. It’s an interesting concept.

The El Segundo Blue Butterfly Habitat Preserve
The final track leads off with some memorable guitar before settling into a harrowing blend of tortured melodies and caustic aggression. The song is a summation of the band’s efforts on Messy, Isn’t It? It’s raw, grating, emotional and honest.

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Additional Notes:
N/A

So, what can I say about the debut album from New York’s Buckshot Facelift? Well, for one, I love the fucking band name — descriptive and genre appropriate. Secondly, the fetid grindcore that their self released, debut album Anchors of the Armless Gods is comprised of is sickening, brutal, wacky, annoying and clever — everything you could want in a grind album.

Musically, these guys layer burly guitars, grinding drums and a varied, guttural vocal delivery that fills more than one sub genre of metal. There are the obvious grindcore influences within the band’s sound, but there’s also a healthy slathering of NYC hardcore, powerviolence and more. All of it shoved into a nicely designed piece of vinyl.

Fowl Mouth Old Bigot Who Would Steal the Coat Off a Dead Man
Starting in the distance with slightly muted vocals and drums, the opening track is a steroid popping mosh machine with discordant riffs and layered vocals belches (some pitch shifted). It’s a pretty slow paced song that’s vile and sickening and sets the mood for the rest of the record.

Johnny Depp Overface
I’m not entirely sure where these dudes are going with their song titles, but they are certainly are bizarre — almost as bizarre as some of the sound clips they use throughout the album. This one is a fully layered, cacophonous assault on the senses as the band bludgeons their way though just over a minute of violent, guttural utterances and mosh.

I’ve Suffered the Plump Pheasant
The tone to this one is thick with suffocating layers, textures and noise. The super guttural growls behind the main vocals are a nice touch, though. This one is a sub 40 second beat down.

Raping the Spider Demon
“Raping the Spider Demon” sees the band slow it down a bit with some melodic tones thrown in for good measure. The layered vocals are evil as fuck and contrast nicely with the more open guitars. There’s a definite hardcore feel to this one even through the weird vocal distortions that dominate the latter half of the album.

Horny Greenfield Dragonbreath
How can you not dig a band with a sense of humor. The sound clip that opens up this chaotic, driving song is from the classic kids’ movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I know this cause I just watched it for the 13th time with my daughter the other day. Aside from that, the song is short, noisy and violent.

50 Pounder
For some bizarre reason, I actually knew from which movie the sound clip that starts off this bile retching song starts off with. Let’s see how many of you know the title to this 1993 movie. There is a healthy dose of bass running through this one as the punk tinged guitars do their best to keep up with the layered vocals and crashing drums.

The Serpent Bears the Scowl
“The Serpent Bears the Scowl” is another one minute blast of beat down hardcore tinged, nasty grind. The layered vocal effects continue to add to the mayhem as this one thunders along slowly before picking up speed in the second half of the song.

St. Peters Lobby
This one sounds like it could have come from the back catalog of Shattered Realm or Blood For Blood had they only been a bit more chaotic in their delivery. This is a bruising track with thick guitars.

Preparation Montage
Here’s another track that lays on the back alley beat down vibe thick with a nail studded baseball bat. It’s a slow, plodding track over the first 45 seconds or so before the higher end screams come in with blasting drums and driving riffs.

Drinking Spit
There’s lots of vocal effects thrown into the mix with “Drinking Spit” — so much so that this track is over the top with it’s use. There are some nice tempo changes that make up for it though.

Anchors of the Armless Gods
The title track is one of the more structured tracks that varies from rapid fire drums to slow moving mosh. The over all tone is thick and suffocating as if it were mired in sludge. More guttural utterances are layered in with the main delivery.

I Can Control Your Mind by Smoking God’s Toenail Clippings
This next one is probably the most traditional grind track. After leading in with a bunch of noise the guys bust out some old school, blistering Napalm Death inspired nastiness before devolving into a mess of guttural nonsense and noise.

Elated Mask of Winter (Diseasum: The Blessed Basket)
“Elated Mask of Winter” also sticks with the more traditional feel, as well, but shifts tempos throughout it’s short existence. The higher end screams over the crawling music around the one minute mark is evil as hell.

Sgt. Perrier
“Sgt. Perrier” starts off with blasting drums and violent guitars before settling into a chill, melodic groove as the band let’s loose with the group vocals. Tucked into this tribute, there are some massive bass lines, distorted guitars and thundering drums. This single song is as varied as the entire album and wraps it up nicely.

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Additional Notes:
N/A

Fight Amp, are back once again, re-emerging from dank Jersey basements with a great follow up to their stellar debut, Hungry for Nothing. Now a three piece after the departure of guitarist Rebecca Burchette, the band’s sophomore effort, while missing Burchette’s vocal presence, sees the guys hitting their stride in form with more of a focus on the noise rock aspect of their sound.

With shorter songs and more focused energy, Fight Amp still deliver gritty guitar tones, thick and heavy bass and thundering drums with as much fervor as they did on their debut. There is a bit more groove thrown into the mix as well, that will have you nodding your shaggy head along with the sludgy tones and rhythms. The shift in focus, I think, will be a good one for a band that has flown below the radar for the most part — bringing in elements of from the likes of Baroness and Kylesa will help them make that jump.

Bad Listener I
Fight Amp get this album off with “Bad Listener I” that has a great, repetitive vibe and catchy chorus. The guitars are driving and thickly layered with plenty of texture while the bass rolls and rumbles in the not-so-distant background. This is a pretty beefy, yet droning track that makes a dramatic shift at 1:48 to a driving, noise rock behemoth.

Time Is Money
“Time Is Money” takes on a slightly darker, yet more rambunctious feel as it plunders your ears right from the start. This song is full of burly bass, thundering drums and raw, driving guitars. This one minute long instrumental has plenty of groove and sets the tone going forward with the album.

Be Safe
More basement pummeling keeps the momentum churning along with this next song as the vocals take a bit of a back seat to the thick guitars and rhythms. There is definitely more focus on the noise aspect of the band’s sound as showcased in “Be Safe,” yet still has plenty of groove.

Elbows Off
I love the bass/drum combination that starts this next song off as reverb fades into chugging riffs. The vocals do their best to shout above the crashing drums and rumbling bass. There are some nice tempo shifts throughout the song to break up what could have become a monotonous dirge of guitars. This is definitely one of the standout songs on the album.

Don’t I Know You?
The guitars on this one have a Helmet-like tone to them as the band pummels their way through a raucous, punk tinged bit of rock. This is one of the quicker paced and more powerful songs on the album with drums delivered with seriously heavy hands. The shorter song structures really give each track that much more of a one-two punch effect. Well done!

Faith In Man
“Faith In Man” has a great opening with all kinds of guitar noise, rumbling bass and heavy drums that take on a feel like that from the latest stuff by Kylesa. The moshing riffs at :43 are beefy and segue into distantly shouted vocals that are nearly drowned in the wall of sound that the band produces.

Bitter Son
Another bass fueled start, gets “Bitter Son” off to a rolling start as the guitars come in with a slightly higher tone. The vocals are once again blended into the band’s sound nicely so as to make the music seem that much thicker. More rolling bass lines as the guitars quiet to background noise help break up the flow a bit, but also provide moments of clarity for diving head first into the churning noise.

Go Getter
I love the opening riff and rock vibe that “Go Getter” has throughout. The vocals are a little more confrontational and deeper than the rest of the album so far. This is one of those songs that I keep coming back to over and over. The thick, chugging bass and riffage toward the end of the song are head-banging fun to say the least. Awesome song!

Magic Words
“Magic Words” has some of the more creative drum work and tempo shifts fond on the album. The song feels as though Helmet and Kylesa got together and conceived a nasty, gritty bastard offspring. Keeping the vocals to a minimum on this one really make it a stand out track. The band has certainly matured in their song writing and this song is evidence of it. Hell, there’s even a bit of a lead to end out the track.

Half a Holiday
Now this is the type of song I would love to have blasting at one f those high school basement parties we had back in the day. It’s thick. It’s punishing. Yet it’s catchy as hell and that would have all us heathens jumping around like animals in a feeding frenzy. And is also just the right length to keep the most ADD affected of you out there at attention.

Extra Regular
“Extra Regular” is a pretty decent track, but after “Half a Holiday” it doesn’t quite pack the same punch. That said it does have some sweet guitar work throughout it that stands out nicely on the album. The more cleanly sung vocals on the song also break it out of the noise rock mold the band likes. Weighing in at over three and a half minutes the track is almost of epic length when compared to the rest of the album. There’s really a great deal of stuff going on in here that will take a couple of listens to fully appreciate.

School
Discordant guitars and rolling bass figure strongly in “School,” a song that lays the noise on thick and heavy. It’s a pretty decent song, but it sort of gets lost amongst so many other great songs on the album.

Bad Listener II
The second portion of “Bad Listener” picks up where the first left off with bruising rhythms, reverb and the catchy chanted chorus. The two tracks serve as bookends to a pretty damned good sophomore effort from Fight Amp.

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Additional Notes:
N/A

Looking back on my review of Living Hell‘s The Lost and The Damned, it’s easy to see why the band has stuck to their formula of bruising hardcore with desolate atmosphere and dark overtones — the shit just works. The band’s debut effort with Eulogy Recordings, Oblivion, carries the bands bleak outlook through ten bruising, rib crushing songs.

When compared with their last album, Living Hell have upped the ante a good deal with regard to the power and ferociousness of their delivery. The music on this album is foreboding and fierce as the band bulldoze there way through your speakers. Thick, slow moving (even doomy at times) guitars shift from crushing riffs to driving hardcore frenzy as the rhythm section is comprised of meaty drums and thundering bass throughout the album. Vocally, the band is on par with their previous work with gruff and raw shouts and growls.

Sin of the World
“Sin of the World” is a slow moving behemoth of a song. With a much doomier feel to the guitars, the band are able to effectively portray a weathered canvas on which Craig Mack (lead vocalist) is able to lay his deep, raspy and vehement delivery. The riffing is memorable and slick as the rhythm section keep the song flowing like and icy, black river. Man, talk about a hell of a song to open the album with.

Blessed are the Dead
After that rather somber opening, Living Hell keep the pace slow moving with “Blessed are the Dead.” The opening to this one features some really powerful, bruising guitars along with thundering drum work. There’s a touch of melancholy floating in the dense buzz of the guitars that adds a nice touch to this track. The vocals finally make their appearance about 1:30 into the song and are just as raw and brooding as the music. We finally see the pace pick up around 2:10 with driving drums and a quickened vocal delivery. The lead at 2:47 is a nice touch and fits in nicely.

Demonic Assault
I’m not sure the title of the song really describes the music captured within this track — perhaps the opening guitar shredding over top the rapid fire drumming. This is an aggressive, up-tempo blasting song with vehement vocals and pummeling pace. The shredding leads make another appearance around 1:15 and jump from guitar to guitar while the drums do everything within their power to shatter your ribs.

A New Skin for an Old Demon
Holy hell the drums at the onset of this song are huge. Rolling like the galloping riders of the Apocalypse, “A New Skin for an Old Demon” opens up like a flood gate of hatred and hellfire. The pace eventually settles into a decent pummeling groove with slick guitar work and ferocious vocals. I’ve played this song several times in a row and it never loses its impact.

Oblivion
The title track has got a nice gallop to it, as well. It’s in the same vein as say Ringworm and Integrity, and is everything I’ve come to expect from first hearing the band’s last album. “Oblivion” is intense, forceful and will have you pumped for anything and everything.

122112
I’m digging the swampy doom sound to the guitars as “122112” gets underway. The bass throughout the song has more of a presence than on the previous tracks and only proves to add to the denseness of the song. The noodling just before the one minute mark serves to break up the intensity a bit. This song is mired in suffocating riffs and bleakness. I love it — especially the trading guitar squeals midway through.

Amidst the Wolves
Evil, rumbling bass and reverb greet the listener as “Amidst the Wolves” gets off to a start. The first minute or so is only a build up to a raucous back-alley beat-down for the remainder of the song. The feel of this one is classic hardcore, but delivered with darker tones. The layered vocals are a nice touch, as well.

Gods Undone
Now, this is what I’m talking about. “Gods Undone” is a high energy track with traditional hardcore trappings ramped up to the levels of near thrash and encased in a shroud of destruction. This song never lets up on the accelerator as it punishes and bruises — even during the breakdown around 1:15. Holy hell!

Seething Envy
More rumbling bass and gets this next one off to a decent start. The band revisits the slower pace of the first few songs before jumping into a decent thrash gallop. Man, I’m digging this album. It’s not the best track on the album, but it certainly packs a punch.

Leviathan
“Leviathan” wraps up a great sophomore effort from Living Hell with a ferocious, in-your-face attack with some of the harshest vocals on the album. Man, these guys showcase some sweet shredding on a few short-lived leads along with burly rhythms. This is definitely the right way to end out an album like this — bruising and rifftastic.

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Additional Notes:
N/A

I played the fuck out of The Red Chord‘s spaz grind debut Fused Together in Revolving Doors when it first came out. I loved it’s sheer insanity and intensity. The band’s sophomore release saw nearly as much replay, but it wasn’t quite the same. Then cam 2007′s Prey for Eyes, an album which I gladly purchased, but could never really get into.

I’m not sure what spurred the band to the levels of reivigorated destruction that their latest effort, Fed Through the Teeth Machine, displays in spades, but the band needs to tap into that source like a junkie sifting through dead soldiers in a back alley. Teeth Machine makes Prey look like the definite weak link in the band’s short yet highly scrutinized discography. There just seems to be so much more emphasis, creativity and enthusiam on show with this latest release.

The grinding blasts are more raw, more sinister and full of power, while the jazzy noodling (when used) is balanced beautifully with the band’s natural ferocity. Vocally, Guy Kozowyk is on top of his game, dishing out menacing barks, growls and more throaty belches. Musically, the band seems much tighter in their frenzied attack. The guitars are thick and punishing yet at times mischievious and jazzy. The rhythm section delivers the thunder with precision while keeping you on your toes throughout the album.

Demoralizer
“Demoralizer” certainly seems to serve as such to other bands in The Red Chord “genre.” Opening with distant guitars that fade into an eruption of blasting drums, squeals and Kozowyk’s bruly delivery the song serves notice to all who hear it that the band is back and back with a vengeance. While not as spastic as the stuff I loved on their debut, so far the music on Teeth Machine is exactly what has been missing from their last two albums — bruising rhythms, haunting guitars and ferocity.

Hour of Rats
Holy sweet fucking shit. “Hour of Rats” explodes out of the gate without so much as a blink from the end of the album opener with blasting drums and a huge scream. This song is a brass knuckled left hook to the temple. There’s plenty of jazzy noodling and soaring leads amongst the animalistic bludgeoning the band is handing out with this song.

Hymns and Crippled Anthems
There’s barely a moment’s breath before the album’s third track gets under way with a little reverb. There’s some really nicely structured shifts in this song, highlighted with technical guitars and slick layering. Be prepared for some fierce noodling and plenty of experimental guitar noise throughout this song. It only adds to the churning chaos.

Embarrassment Legacy
The transition into “Embarrassment Legacy” is nearly seamless, as the band chug along smoothly with a mid-tempo opening. The pace picks up a bit about 20 seconds in with a decent driving clip. There are several tempo shifts in just the first minute and a half, yet the momentum of the song continues along smoothly and without pause. I’m digging the animalistic pummeling the drums take after the short lead before the two minute mark.

Tales of Martyrs and Disappearing Acts
Finally, there was more than half a second of dead air between songs… And you’ll need to too. This next one is an up-tempo monster with chugging riffage and machine gunning drums. The guitars around 1:10 are pretty sweet as the introduce a series of large growls from Kozowyk. The end of the song builds into a frenzy before disappearing into the next song.

Floating Through the Vein
“Floating Through the Vein” has an intensified feel around the overall delivery of the music. Everything seems to have a little more punch than the last song. Perhaps it’s the many manic blasts that punctuate the flow of the song. At any rate, I’m digging it. The end to this song has a very disturbing feel to it as the music degrades slowly to a close.

Ingest the Ash
Now this is what I’m talking about! Sheer destruction right from the first second that’s reminiscent of the stuff they did on their debut. The melodic and rock vibes added to the guitars here and there make for a great contrast to the moshing riffs they throw at you throughout the song.

One Robot to Another
The band keeps the bludgeoning constant with this next one that also sees some slick progressive guitar elements thrown into the mix. This is a pretty bruising track that has some highly contagious portions that will have you shouting along with the band in no time.

Mouthful of Precious Stones
Massive riffs and a brief growl get this next one off to a chugging start. The overall slower pace to this one is a nice change and makes for a darker sounding song that really explodes when those quicker moments arise. The 1:44 mark is a crushing mass of guttural vocals and riffing. The latter half of the song is more dramatic and has more melodic touches as does the lead that comes in at 3:30. This is definitely a new realm for the band that really shows what they are capable of.

The Ugliest Truth
Man, after the slower fading end to the last song, “The Ugliest Truth” is a menacing, drooling beast of a track. It’s up-tempo pace along with nicely timed guitar squeals makes for a creative song. There’s a good ebb and flow to this song as the pace shifts along with blasting drums and Kozowyk’s delivery. Nice!

Face Area Solution
Using the feedback from the end of the previous song, this next one is starts off with frenetic drumming, slick guitar noodling and a vicious layered vocal delivery. This is the shortest song on the album and packs a wallop in its two minute length.

Sleepless Nights in the Compound
“Sleepless Nights in the Compound” wraps up the band’s return to form with an off-kilter, time battering attack from everyone in the band. The drumming is all over the place (in a good way) and the guitars shift from moshing riffs to technical flourishes like it’s nothing. The track gets real creative at 2:20 with moody guitars and plenty of atmosphere. The track ends tremendously with great guitar, layered vocals and steady drum work. Well done!

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Additional Notes:
N/A

More often then naught, the words “conceptual piece” induce a dry heaving gag reflex in many a metal fan — stirring the thick yellow bile deep in our collective guts. With Converge‘s Kurt Ballou pushing the right buttons, New Hampshire’s own the_Network keep the retching to a minimum, staving off any violent re-churning of that cold pizza and beer we had for lunch. In fact, the discordant pummeling contained within this story of one Bishop Kent Manning only goads us to inhale more, glutting ourselves on dissonant, near-grating and, at times, atmospheric noise.

Right from the beginning of the band’s sophomore release, we’re thrown into a tumultuous mix of destructive noise, caustic riffs and off kilter time signatures — all of which will leave you dizzy and waiting for more. Ballou’s production work on the album is definitely apparent as the thick, sludgy feel to the raucous riffs and thundering drums dominate throughout. Vocally, the screams range from indecipherable belts of esophageal destruction to mid range growling shouts. When all is said and done, the_Network end up delivering a solid slab of forceful, chaotic hardcore.

From Holy Water to Holy Wars
With a grinding drum attack masked in driving chaotic, hardcore noise “From Holy Water to Holy Wars” is a smothering, bruising affair. The guitars here and there take on a Converge-like feel, but that’s to be expected with Ballou at the boards. At just over two minutes in length this serves as an aural blitzkrieg to get you ready for the rest of the album.

Following and Failing
I don’t know who’s taking on the backing vocals for this track, but they are shriekingly tortured, fitting in nicely with the driving rhythms and lead screams. This song has some serious depth along with some crazy timing throughout. Man, this one feels like a locomotive that’s been derailed and tearing through the parking lot right for your front door. After the three minute mark are some seriously heavy riffs and layered screams to end out the song.

Your Own Personal Time Bomb
This next one is a bit slower than the previous two songs, yet still has plenty of angst and aggression to keep it inline with the album thus far. The guitars have a bit more of a sludgier feel to them, as the drums are all over the freakin’ place. I love the progressive slow down just before the three minute point as it’s followed by some heavy-assed guitars.

Service with a Smile
Late Sepultura-like guitars open up this next one with crashing drums and ruptured throat vocals. There’s more than enough going on throughout “Service with a Smile” to keep even the most ADD affected of us on our toes. Combine the overall clustered feeling of the song with its unrelenting pace and you have yourself a face peeling blast of noise crusted hardcore. Awesome song.

Telethons for the Rich
Buckle up before launching into this next track. the_Network throw in a decent helping of grind into this spastic, chaotic monolith. “Telethons for the Rich” is everything the band can dish out in just under 1:20. This is a blinding, deafening track that will require multiple replays to absorb it all.

Paranoid Deserter
A sludgier, doomier start to this next song changes things up a bit with massive riffs, heavy drum work and a slightly toned down vocal delivery. Ballou has done a nice job of letting these guys run rampant for a majority of the album but also restrains them a bit, pulling them back down to Earth for a stellar song with great musicianship. The 2:40 mark sees a nice shift in the overall feel of the song as the band transitions into some heavy drum dominated noise with crushing riffs. This one has a bit of a Cult of Luna feel to it as it reaches into the five minute mark.

Easter Just Stopped Showing Up
There are some seriously thick and massive riffs that permeate the air during “Easter Just Stopped Showing Up.” When mixed with the vocal delivery and thundering drums, this is easily going to be one of my favorite songs for a while. The ebb and flow of the waves of doomy metal with the lighter moments add tremendous depth to the song and is just plain catchy as hell. Fucking awesome.

Corpse Paint
Building up slowly from a some quiet and light guitar work, “Corpse Paint” gets into a groove about 1:20 into the track with a feel similar to some of the stuff that Torche has recently done, but edgier and more aggressive. The overall feel to this one is a bit more melancholy and emotive when put with the rest of the album. This is a nice change up from the thickly layered songs that fill the rest of the album. This quite the varied song with a great deal of atmosphere and experimentation. After seven minutes the song ends in dramatic fashion.

You Fucking Fakes
Whoa. Talk about violent. “You Fucking Fakes” is like strapping yourself to the hood of an eighteen wheeler in a head-n collision; then doing it again and again and… well you get the picture. Thundering drums and thick riffs pummel from the left and right as the harsh vocal delivery is belted out with plenty of vehemence. The layered vocals around the two minute mark add a bit of insanity to the mix as plenty of warbling noise ends it nicely.

Kent Manning
“Kent Manning” wraps up the album, starting off with slightly muted vocals over light guitars for the first minute or so before the drums and thick bass come in. The guitars thicken up over the second minute as well, delivery doomy riffs like a crushing tsunami of noise. Very cool song to end on.

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Additional Notes:
N/A