Burning Bright – Domesday

December 15, 2012 • self-released

I found this band on Bandcamp (of course) some time ago and finally got around to actually checking them out. I've heard more than my share of crap in my mission to find the world's best crust punk, but Burning Bright is definitely one of the better bands so far and this, their debut, is certainly worth the time.

Domesday is a pretty simple album at its core: a straightforward fusion of melodic hardcore and crust punk, like a skatier version of Tragedy. Unlink a lot of other crust punk, though, the production is pretty clean most of the time (and you can easily hear that awesome bass guitar sound) and the melodies are, well, more melodic than usual (almost power-metal-esque on a few tracks, and there's even trumpet on the final track). I quite like the approach, actually; it's a very accessible album and easy to listen to as far as hardcore goes. You don't always have to get bogged down in the dirty, dank sound most crust albums have, and I appreciate that here.

Burning Bright can definitely do some quite catchy rhythms, although many of the songwriting and riffs lean more towards the average side, playing off on a single note or really basic chord pattern that doesn't stay interesting very long. There are some nice exceptions, though—"Vitriol", as an example, has a nice proggy-sounding bridge to it and some really great guitar interplay with the solos; a few of the closing songs bring a great sludgy sound missing from the rest of the album.

So no, it's not a particularly challenging or mind-expanding release, or one that I'd eagerly push on everyone I meet, but it's still a fine album for those days when you just want to rock out and have your brain numbed by some heavy hardcore sounds. Definitely recommended for hardcore fans—and it's free, too!

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Varsity Cheerleader – Death to Denton

May 7, 2013 • self-released

Varsity Cheerleader is just a little punk band from Texas, but they sure do make some good stuff. A bit derivative, perhaps, but absolutely worth listening to in its own right.

Death to Denton is some pretty basic old-school punk rock, with plenty of pop punk and a bit of melodic hardcore thrown in, giving it a very early-'90s vibe—kind of like early Descendents or what Minor Threat might have sounded like if they'd lasted a bit longer (maybe). It also has a very well-polished production and a very thick sound (maybe that's what makes it feel '90s).

The riffs and songwriting in general are both really good, leaving songs that are catchy as hell; and it's impressively fast as well. The vocals are the EP's weak spot, as they are a bit buried on some tracks and don't have quite as aggressive of a delivery as this sort of music demands. Interestingly, they get better (and louder) as the EP goes on, so maybe it's an issue they've already fixed?

Anyway, worth picking up (and it's free anyway, so why wouldn't you?).

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Propagandhi – Failed States

September 4, 2012 • Epitaph Records

I'd been a mild fan of Propagandhi after I heard Today's Empires, Tomorrow's Ashes but never really bothered to look into them beyond that. That is, until I decided to try out their new album Failed States on a whim—and boy am I glad I did. They've only gotten better in the last ten years and have put out an absolutely fantastic album, one of the best to come out this year for sure.

Punk bands usually get softer with age, but Propagandhi has fortunately played with the trend a bit. Failed States has has a bit more of a prog-rock flavor to it here and there, but they still play heavy and fast punk rock throughout and the overall mood is just as pissed-off as the band ever was. The music may be a bit more proggy than I would have liked ("Note to Self" sounds a bit like later Tool in parts, which is really weird), but they still slam as hard as ever when they want to: take the title track, which starts and ends as a blur of punk riffing that rivals their heaviest stuff on Today's Empires. As usual they still manage to be melodic at the same time, and I really love their melodic lines. That's more of a personal thing, I suppose, but I've always liked their melodies—they have a very distinct feel to them that just fits so well. The song absolutely solid throughout; the writing and playing are more or less perfect. (And check out those crazy bass guitar licks in "Status Update" and "Unscripted Moment"! And everywhere, really. I love me some bass.)

If I had to make any one complaint about the album (and of course I do), the last four songs on the album seem to just overshadow everything else—they're so good, and the beginning of the album is just okay. So listening to it straight through, I feel like I spend the first five tracks or so waiting to get to the end. But I guess that's just a testament to how much I enjoy those last four songs—seriously, "Unscripted Moment" and "Lotus Gait" are two of the best punk songs I've ever heard. No exaggeration.

If you're still reading at this point and haven't at least gone out and listened to one or two of the tracks by now, what the hell are you doing? I suppose that it might not be the most accessible album, even for people who like punk, but if you can get on board with what Propagandhi has been up to... well, for me at least, it's one of the most refreshing things I've heard yet from this year.

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Note: Epitaph has been kind enough to put up the whole album on YouTube! Check it out!

Modern Life Is War – Witness

June 21, 2005 • Reflections Records

I find the modern hardcore punk scene to be really intriguing, as its evolution over the years has been quite interesting to track. Modern Life Is War's Witness is a prime example of where punk stood at the end of the last decade, combining the angry edge of the '80s and the angst of the new millennium. It's a very solid album, even if it's no longer particularly unique.

The music has kind of a screamo edge, especially in the vocals, but with a metal vibe in there as well—though maybe that's the proto-sludge elements you naturally get with screamo leaking through. The songwriting is perhaps a little lacking due to its repetition and extreme simplicity of a lot of the riffs. Regardless, the aesthetic appeal is undeniably good. The band emanates the attitude of punk's essence whether they are blasting and pounding furiously or sailing on lighter melodies. There is a nice balance struck that keeps the album from becoming sorely monotonous. (Compare the blastbeat opening of "John and Jimmy" to its much lighter successor "Marshaltown".)

I'm not totally sold on it like a lot of people, though, because it still isn't terribly original—there are more than a few spots that remind me of other modern hardcore bands like Dead Swans or Rise Against (albeit heavier). It could be that there have been plenty of bands since then with a similar sound, though, so I don't place much blame on this one. And then again that does mean that this album will probably have a pretty wide range of appeal, which is always a good thing. Perhaps it could be used as a gateway album from hardcore to screamo or something like that.

For me, Witness isn't breaking many barriers and certainly hasn't made its way into my hypothetical top-punk-albums-ever list, but it's still a pretty good listen and Modern Life Is War have definitely done a fine job. It's probably not something I'll be returning to much, though modern punk fans will probably find something to like in it.

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