Cancer Bats
Hail Destroyer
Metal Blade (2008)
Cancer Bats really confuse me. On one hand, they are almost astonishingly derivative and terrifyingly hip. On the other hand, there is something infectious about their brand of sludge-tinged groove metal that makes me want to drink, fuck, and party all night. And I don't even drink. Following the blueprint set down by their first full-length, Hail Destroyer does nothing particularly new take equal parts metal and rock n roll, spin leisurely in a battered leather jacket with some sludgecore and add a dose of in-vogue hardcore flavorings to taste. It's all very 2008, and I'm sure there are countless thousands of trendo-scene kids out there with Cancer Bats badges and Cancer Bats patches and Cancer Bats bloody shirts and Cancer Bats sodding pencil sets. And therein lies the real flaw behind this release. There is nothing new, no fresh angle. All you can hear is the sum of the influences. A hint of Mastodon in one song. A whole heap of Raging Speedhorn in another and a barely hidden stash of Eyehategod stuffed into the guitarist's back pocket. But all, of course, tied in with enough 'in' touches to make it palatable for the masses. Hell, I don't have … Read more
The Gaslight Anthem
The '59 Sound
Side One Dummy (2008)
Make no assumptions about it, The Gaslight Anthem are one of the best active rock and roll bands. You can … Read more
Supermachiner
Rise of the Great Machine (Reissue)
E-Vinyl (2008)
Supermachiner is the short-lived project of Jacob Bannon of Converge and Ryan Parker where they eventually enlisted the input of … Read more
The Riot Before
Fists Buried in Pockets
Say-10 (2008)
The Riot Before hail from Richmond but look and sound like a Gainesville band. Musically, I'd lump them in with … Read more
The Shaky Hands
Lunglight
Kill Rock Stars (2008)
It's raining today. No sun. Shaking angly tree branches. Impenetrable sky rising up out of the ground. Hourless glide from … Read more
