Down to Nothing - All My Sons

Yes, here it is, the latest installment of hardcore from Reaper Records. Richmond's Down to Nothing are turning out to be one of the longer lasting bands in this particular scene, churning out new material and playing shows to many straight edge kids' delight since forming in 2000. They've been fairly quiet on the release front since their last LP, The Most in 2007; only putting together the highly limited Hem Hem EP and a split with Australia's 50 Lions. All My Sons continues in a similar manner to their last full length, featuring six songs that unfortunately begin to border on the monotony level.

Sure, I was a fan of Save it for the Birds, and I probably have about four different copies of the first 7" on Dead by 23 records in my collection. Sometimes though, it feels like certain bands that are around for a decade or more inevitably start to coast on the mundane or stagnant fringe of hardcore. Maybe it's the nature of the music and lyrical content in so many of the bands out there today, or possibly there's too many other newer groups with similar, yet fresher sounds coming out, that the longer lasting guys begin to fall out of the highly temperamental limelight.

All My Sons keeps Down to Nothing in the heavier, almost metallic influenced trend that most of their recent material since The Most frequented. Nearly completely gone are the fast, punky, 60 second blasts of juvenile, skateboarding, straightedge hardcore, replaced with heavier, slower breakdowns and slightly raspier vocals from David Wood.

There's still some high points on the EP though, as these Richmond dudes haven't lost their touch for writing straightforward and catchy riffs. "Number One" sounds like a great live song with some decent mid-tempo guitar work. "Undefeated" exploded from my stereo system, bursting into exciting gang vocals with pounding percussion and bass lines to start side B of the record.

This definitely isn't some of the most original or imaginative hardcore around right now, but Down to Nothing are at least still a fun, exciting band to see live, although people such as myself would probably be bummed by the probable lack of older material. All My Sons fits pretty snugly into the Reaper Records mold, which is up to you to decide if it's necessarily a good or bad quality. I still give these guys credit for sticking it out so long, but this certainly isn't the EP I would want to characterize them with. Fans will still enjoy it, but newcomers might easily dismiss this one. Limited covers are sold out, but the regular version is still for sale from Merch Now or Reaper Records.

Buy at Reaper Records
Buy at MerchNow
Down to Nothing MySpace

Forfeit - The Lower Depths

First off, I want to say what a fantastic job Reaper Records has done with the preorder package for this LP. Stunning cover art, colored vinyl and a full size poster round out the deal. My excitement to receive the preorder was definitely satisfied once I opened the tightly wrapped cardboard mailer and saw this.

I was a fan of the first EP, so I was expecting something similar in the vein of older Blacklisted or Reign Supreme. One of my favorite parts of the initial release was the raw, gritty sound of the vocals and guitar. The Lower Depths is different in a few ways from this, as the band seems to be finding their own voice. The overall sound is cleaner and doesn't sound quite like a rehash of Blacklisted's Our Youth is Wasted.

The record starts off with a nice intro piece, followed up by a fairly ordinary fast-then-slow hardcore song. The songs seem to go by quickly, and I found myself waiting for that explosive "WOW" moment that I experience in many hardcore LPs. However, by the time the album ended, I really never experienced anything like this. Of course, there are plenty of mosh-inspiring breaks and furious vocals, but I didn't get the same feeling as I did from the Visions EP.

Probably my favorite two songs on the LP are "Bloodletting" and the closing track, "Parallel Worlds." Each song has its own feel, but remains true to the band's heavy, relentless sound. I would expect to hear each of these on the band's current tour with labelmates Trapped Under Ice and Naysayer, as they are sure to be crowd pleasers. "Parallel Worlds" is especially interesting while the song almost takes on a late 80's metal vibe during the chorus.

I certainly applaud the band for moving forward musically, I was just hoping for something more out of the LP. Fans of the Reaper Records catalog will enjoy this LP, and before anyone makes a decision about these guys they should check out their intense, energetic live show. Reaper has the LP available along with some pretty sweet shirts exclusive for the record - check it.

http://www.myspace.com/forfeitny
http://www.reaper-records.com/