Meet a hardcore band with plenty of original riffs, an original voice, original concepts, and original lyrics with a message to boot. Meet a hardcore band from southern California that recently signed with Altantic Records and are on the brink of receiving the mass fame they deserve. Meet a hardcore band that is, in essence, rapcore although the band specifically states in their booklet that they don't like the term (fine by me, then, they're hardcore.) Meet a band whose lead singer looks like a character out of a seventies detective film and whose nickname, coincidentally, is Sleuth. Meet a band who, in simplest of terms, rocks.
This new album begins in much the same way the first album did, by gradually moving into the first song with whammied chords, bass drums, and a low-end bass. But then, before you know it, a bassline comes from nowhere, and after one run-through, guitars that were obviously loud as an atomic bomb during recording burst in to match the lead singer's coarse, rhythmic, perfect voice. And thus, you have met "Stein's Theme." "You hate us," Sleuth yells, "but we'll never go away. Like some sort of fungus, we're growing everyday. And our knuckles aren't dragging, so I guess that leaves to say: our message isn't stopping until you pull us all away."
The second song introduces itself with a rather stop-and-go rhythm that, during its chorus, introduces a technique this band did not utilize on their first album, and that is the rest of the band singing backup. Indeed, "One-armed Man (Play On)" is a worthy Project 86 piece about those in our society who "search and strain and drink and stagger" and are nothing but "zombies staring, looking my way, crying out for something they can't feel."
Then, as far as lyrics go, the third track introduces my favorite piece, a song about those in our society who are merely competing against themselves throughout their life. "I'll never forget the day the sides were chosen, me against, me against, me against . . ., clothing so drenched with sweat, and the teeth they were clenched, who can I trust when I . . ., grabbed hold my enemy's neck and choked 'til he ceased, blistered with disbelief I awoke dead, and when I awoke I couldn't believe it was me." This song introduces a rather odd touch of adding a loud bell to replace the missing guitar riff, which is just scratching at this point, and a low, rumbling bass line, but then the chorus is typical Project 86.
Go To Page: 1 2
