September 19, 2005 | | 4

Every Time I Die, Gutter Phenomenon

You’ve never had a cigarette in your life, yet a lit Camel slowly burns in your left hand—your right grasps a pint of warm beer. Small bits of ash float on its surface. Through your bleary eyes the shadowed, smoky bar scene in front of you unfolds. The noise and chaos around you leave a dull static buzz droning in the back of your skull. You notice the slight taste of vomit in your mouth.

The last 72 hours, three of which you spent passed out on a floor in some hotel room, are too blurred to make any sense of. Fragments of poker tables, women, and seedy bars just outside the glow of The Strip erupt behind your eyes. None of it makes any sense.

I Know the Stripper’s Last Name

It seems that every time that I listen to this album, the aforementioned scene plays out in my head. I don’t believe that the lyrics drive my imagination in that direction. It’s just the feeling I get after listening to the latest from Every Time I Die.

I have a few of their previous releases and I can honestly say that I have not enjoyed any of them as much as I have Gutter Phenomenon. It’s rock overtones, frenzied hardcore tracks and intelligent lyrics and vocal delivery really make for a completely fun album.

Favorite Tracks:
Kill the Music
Bored Stiff
The New Black

Additional Notes:
None