Set and Setting
Equanimity
Sound Of Silence / Forcefield (2013)
I really enjoy how pretty “Through The Unhindered Break Of Day” is, and the idea that something so simple and borderline repetitive could somehow draw me in to Equanimity, the debut album from Florida’s Set And Setting, is a bit of a mystery until the album progresses and repeated visits with the record drive the point home; these calm and … Read more
Set it Straight
Live Your Heart and Never Follow
Twelve Gauge (2006)
Set it Straight is a band that truly deserves notoriety. Unfortunately, they really haven't gotten much attention outside of the Westcoast, which is both a shock and a shame. Last year the band released their debut full-length, My Favorite Words, an extremely promising LP, as well as a split EP with the now defunct Where Eagles Dare. On both of … Read more
Set it Straight
My Favorite Words
West Coast Worldwide (2005)
My Favorite Words is the debut album from Set it Straight, a straightedge band from Redding, CA. This CD gets you pumped, it inspires you, and the intro to "Conversation" will be stuck in your head for hella days. The CD is nine songs and clocks in at only 20 minutes. The length is perfect for this kind of band, … Read more
Set to Explode
Set to Explode
Grave Mistake (2005)
Sometimes the Internet can be a glorious thing, and we can all thank Al Gore for that... It is because of the glorious invention that I first became aware of this DC group that featured former Striking Distance frontman Dave Byrd, among other past and present players I the D.C. hardcore and punk scenes. And after hearing Set to Explode … Read more
Set Your Goals
Mutiny!
Eulogy (2006)
The debut full-length from Set Your Goals has been one of the most anticipated releases for myself and countless others for the year of 2006. It's been a long time coming since they first popped up on the hardcore/punk scene two years ago, though it seems like it has been so much longer. Well after a patient wait, which saw … Read more
Set Your Goals
Reset
Eulogy (2006)
Deje vu. Nearly two years ago I was writing a review of the original release of this EP. I closed that review stating that the band could "either stay close to home and continue on as local sensations or keep pursuing their dreams and make the jump to the inevitable stardom that is within their grasp." They opted for the … Read more
Set Your Goals
Set Your Goals
Straight On (2004)
Recently, the scene of hardcore-punk has become a stagnant cesspool of monotony. Out of the thousands of bands playing "hardcore" music, there is only a hand-full that have the audacity to do something different. California's melodic punk/hardcore hybrid Set Your Goals is one of those bands and upstart label Straight On Records (The Warriors, Go it Alone) has taken notice. … Read more
Set Your Goals
This Will Be the Death of Us
Epitaph (2009)
Set Your Goals follows up their debut album, Mutiny!, with yet another fusion of pop punk and scarce hardcore elements. For those of you unfamiliar with Mutiny!, let me sum it up for you in a few brief sentences. It was light and fun. It was catchy at times. Yeah, I kind of dug it, but it got pretty textbook … Read more
Settle For Less
Contemporary
6131 (2011)
Since the rise of Brand New out of the emo scene (around the time Deja Entendu was released) there have been a number of bands trying to make the most of that style. While said style isn't complicated it does require a few things that most bands that copy them can't quite pull off. Settle For Less at times seem … Read more
Seven Sisters Of Sleep
Opium Morals
A389 (2013)
Think long and hard and decide just what it takes for a band to enter your own personal rarified air (sure this personal status can be mutable over time with bands falling out and joining in depending on how quickly your tastes might change); for me it can be as little as one record and can last an entire “Career” … Read more
Seven Sisters Of Sleep
Self Titled
A389 (2011)
Have you ever heard the expression, “where were you when…” relating to certain events in history, or have you heard people say, “I remember where I was when Kennedy was assassinated” or “I remember where I was when the space shuttle Challenger exploded?” Well, not that it is anywhere near as historically significant (at least for the United States), I … Read more
Seven Sisters Of Sleep/Children Of God
Split
A389 (2011)
Dear lord is this ever one of the heaviest split records in quite a while, and I am sure that I don’t have to explain how that is saying something; but both bands on this could wreck your speakers on their own anytime so having them both on one slab of wax is a completely different kind of punishment altogether, … Read more
Sex Organs
We're Fucked
Voodoo Rhythm (2024)
Sex Organs is a duo based between The Netherlands and Switzerland, formed by members of The Anomalys and The Jackets who play scuzzy garage-punk while dressed as genitalia. Obviously, it’s a gimmick where the band has a focus on their fun, sex positive message rather than breaking new artistic ground. That’s a short way of saying this record reminds me … Read more
Sex Positions
Sex Positions
Deathwish Inc. (2004)
Walk into a Boston hardcore show and ask a random kid if they like the Dedication, and there is a 95% chance they will do one of the following: A. Call you a faggot. B. Say, "You like that make up wearing band of faggots?" C. Turn around to their group of friends and say "Hey guys, did you hear … Read more
Sex Stains
Sex Stains
Don Giovanni (2016)
Sex Stains put it all out front on the opening “Countdown to…” which is as much a confrontational statement of purpose as it is a song. The speak-sing nature and rambling tone set the stage instead of opening with a thundering riff or singalong hit. The band is equal parts accessible punk, destructive no wave, and art rock. And, yes, … Read more
Shadow in the Cracks
Shadow in the Cracks
Goner (2015)
What does it mean when a three-piece band has a spin-off two-piece? While the premonition is that drama is afoot for member number three, that’s probably overthinking it. At least in the case of Shadow in the Cracks, a side project of The Blind Shake where brothers Blaha split off from their main gig for a more ambient approach at … Read more
Shadows Fall
Threads of Life
Atlantic (2007)
I have five different CD players, three in my home and two more in cars. The copy of Threads of Life that I received to review wouldn't play in any of them due to its copy protection technology. I could have chosen to download this from the Internet and then just reviewed it without anyone being the wiser, but I … Read more
Shai Hulud
Misanthropy Pure
Metal Blade (2008)
It has been five years since Shai Hulud's last full-length offering, the underappreciated That Within Blood Ill-Tempered, The band has returned with Misanthropy Pure, their third full-length and first following the departure of vocalist Geert Van Der Velde, amongst other lineup changes. However, the five-year span wasn't a total wash. In 2005 there was the rarities collection A Comprehensive Retrospective … Read more
