Reviews of the latest punk/hardcore/screamo/emo CDs in 50 words or less from Chad Bowar.
Scoring
95-100: One of the best albums of the year (A+)
90-94: A (excellent)
80-89: B (good)
70-79: C (average)
60-69: D (disappointing or below average)
59 and below: F (sucks!)
If you have a CD you'd like reviewed on this site, contact the editor.
The Killer is a band from Chicago, and this is a re-release of their 2004 CD. It includes 4 new tracks along with a DVD of a live show. Their style of hardcore is brutal in both riffage and vocals. There's no posing, no posturing, just in your face old school hardcore.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 1:32 PM
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Since Remembered does an excellent job of combining old and new. They have a definite old school hardcore feel, but also mix in modern melodic hardcore. It's raw, fast and aggressive, but is still very groove oriented and melodic. The vocals are higher pitched than you usually hear, which is another thing that makes them distinctive.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 1:18 PM
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hed(pe) is back with another dose of hip-hop flavored with punk and metal. It's innovative, and even though a lot of people don't like rap vocals with their rock, Jared Gomes varies his rapping style, able to be both harsh and aggressive and smooth and groovy. The lyrics are sometimes social and political, other times juvenile and fun.
Grade: 80
posted by Chad Bowar @ 11:02 AM
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The Arizona band Greeley Estates combines mainstream pop punk with harder edges. They play both sweet, melodic singalong songs and harsh, screaming post-hardcore ones. A lot of times you'll hear both styles in the same song. The CD is an appealing combination of hooks and aggression.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 9:23 AM
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This is an updated version of the 2003 album by The Shocker, which is Jennifer Finch from L7's group. It's a blast of punk and new-wave flavored rock with gritty vocals and ridiculous lyrics. It's a raucous and fun album that also includes a cool cover version of Ice-T's "Body Count."
posted by Chad Bowar @ 9:05 AM
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Burden Of A Day is a solid screamo band. Their songs are emotional and melodic with a combination of screaming and singing vocals. They also have some intense guitar riffs and several breakdowns. It's a nice blend of angst and intensity. If you're a fan of bands like Thrice, The Bled and Underoath you'll dig this album.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 8:52 AM
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Talented producer Aaron Sprinkle is also a very talented musician. His band Fair's debut album is packed with beautifully understated emotional rock songs. They are very melodic, but you don't realize just how catchy they are until after you listen to the CD and find the songs sticking in your head for days.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 8:38 AM
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After lying dormant for several months, this site is active again. I had been publishing my punk/hardcore type reviews elsewhere, but I've decided to return them to their original and rightful home. I have a bunch to catch up on, so look for a lot of new reviews in the next several days. After that I'll try to post them on or near their release dates.
posted by Chad Bowar @ 6:20 PM
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Bowar is a freelance music writer and the heavy metal editor for About.com, a New York Times company. He has written for Outburn, Amp, Loud Fast Rules, Caustic Truths, Snaggletooth, Explicity Intense and many other print and online publications.
