Foo Fighters
The Colour and the Shape (Reissue)
RCA (2007)
The Colour and the Shape was the Foo Fighters second full-length release, though it was the first album in which Grohl enlisted a full band to back him in the writing and recording of the album. Grohl gathered an ensemble of musicians to surround him for what would become the band's breakthrough album: bassist Nate Mendel of Sunny Day Real … Read more
Four Year Strong
Rise or Die Trying
I Surrender (2007)
Do you love bubblegum pop-punk? Do you love sign-alongs? Do you love ridiculous breakdowns? Well, then Four Year Strong and their debut full-length, Rise or Die Trying, are going to be exactly what you've been seeking. This Worcester, Massachusetts five-piece delivers pogo-errific pop-punk with more than a few opportunities to sing-along and break out your dance moves. Rise or Die … Read more
Fu Manchu
We Must Obey
Liquor and Poker Music (2007)
If you are reading this, you are wasting time. Buy Fu Manchu's We Must Obey and buy it now. The album's already a few months old, yet without a review on Scene Point Blank. Injustice I say, injustice! Fu Manchu's tenth album orders you to buy it, to cherish it, to love it. And well... We must obey! For the … Read more
Fucked Up
Year of the Pig
Whats Your Rupture? (2007)
Fucked Up are on intimate terms with ambiguity. It's a rare virtue, since as a rule rock bands tend to seek the comfort of ham-fisted moralism or an apathy either hard-partying or self-pitying. But like Sylvia Plath circa Ariel or the earliest punk bands, Fucked Up stamp their works with an intimidating and sometimes uncomfortable symbolic resonance, leaving it to … Read more
Fueled by Fire
Spread the Fire
Metal Blade (2007)
Let's not beat around the bush. Despite a valiant effort at bringing thrash back to the masses, Fueled by Fire just aren't the ones to do the job. It's a tall order - there'll always be the diehards (mostly in their late thirties) that will buy pretty much anything remotely thrash related. This album is for them. The albums that … Read more
Funeral Diner
The Doors Open
Independent (2007)
So far this year the genre that is 'screamo' hasn't been delivering much of anything. Luckily we have Funeral Diner, one of the few epic screamo bands still out there who are still alive and together, and still have time to pump out a new release here and there while they aren't at their shitty part time jobs doing nothing. … Read more
Gallows
Orchestra of Wolves (Reissue)
Epitaph (2007)
The word "fucking" appears on Orchestra of Wolves forty-nine times. Let me break it down for you: there's thirty-nine "fucking"s on the full-length and ten on the two bonus tracks for a grand total of forty-nine. That's not including variants such as "fuck", "fucked", etc. I counted every time it appears in the lyrics (there's an extra in one song … Read more
Genocide
Apocalyptic Visions
Ván (2007)
Wow. These guys really hate Jesus. Well, I mean, they seem to hate a lot of things but they really hate Jesus. This is Genocide. Don't confuse them with the twenty-four, yes, twenty-four other bands called Genocide; this is the three guys from Germany with corpse paint. Not to be confused with the Genocide from Finland which was only two … Read more
Georgie James
Places
Saddle Creek (2007)
Bridging elements of power/indie pop while harnessing a danceable sound reminiscent of the better radio friendly tracks from the 1950's through the 1970's, Georgie James gives us Places. The Washington D.C. songwriting duo consisting of John Davis, drummer of the disbanded Dischord act Q and Not U, and Laura Burhenn, a locally established solo musician, share vocal duties and instrumentation … Read more
Get Back Up
Weathering the Storm
Organized Crime (2007)
Buffalo, NY's Get Back Up unfortunately sounds like every other new school hardcore band out there playing in local venues across the United States and probably Canada. They sound like a mixture of the heavy handed emotionally drone of Modern Life is War and the crunchy 90's hardcore metallic speed inspired Have Heart. I enjoy what I'm hearing as the … Read more
Get the Most
Common Goals
Crucial Response (2007)
From the German label that has been specializing in generic youth-crew since the early 90's comes yet another five song 7" of finger pointing stage diving positive hardcore that will have you singing along in no time. Ray Cappo yelps included. Get the Most has ex members and current members of Blue Monday and Go It Alone for those keeping … Read more
Ghost in the House
Ghost in the House
Edgetone (2007)
Sometimes one needs a good reminder not to let expectations run amok in order to avoid disappointment. In general I always try to get positively surprised rather than the other way around, but you can't always be at the top of your game. Sometime you let yourself hope of something good only to be let down. This may sound more … Read more
Ghostface Killah
The Big Doe Rehab
Def Jam (2007)
On his seventh album it sounds like Ghostface is handing over the reins to the less noted, giving more of his name and less of his talent, allowing the up and comers to ride on his success. The overall presentation of the album seems rushed and halfhearted; perhaps he assumes that people will purchase the album solely on the premise … Read more
Giant Haystacks
The Rebirth of Our City
Pizza Pizza (2007)
Giant Haystacks play really jangly indie rock. It's like a mix of Minutemen with The Jam trying to play early R.E.M. songs. This is probably nothing I will ever listen to again after this review but it's good for what it is. It's awesome they took their name from the legendary English wrestler. Read more
Gifts From Enola
Local Eyes Betrayed the Mind
Independent (2007)
It's been almost ten years since Mogwai released their now classic debut Young Team and still countless younger bands are trying to emulate that almost entirely instrumental, post-everything sound that relies just as heavy on ambient noises as it does on actual musicianship. I give praises to Gifts From Enola for actually creating a disc that shows some promise of … Read more
Glorior Belli
Manifesting the Raging Beast
Southern Lord (2007)
See: Obscurus Advocam Just kidding. But let's face it. They are pretty interchangeable, no? Both bands are the vision of French musician Infestuus. Both bands are all just too melodic. Now, call me old-fashioned but melody has no place in black metal. Bleak, sure. Twisted? Frightening? Suffocating? These are all bad adjectives for relationships, yet all good adjectives for heavy … Read more
Go it Alone
Histories
Rivalry (2007)
For the most part I tend to think of hardcore as the last bastion of true emotional outpouring for contemporary music. Hip hop and rap seems to be more concerned with stuff they want or stuff they are going to get. Metal either wants to bellow about goblins or how much their girlfriend sucks. Country music is a running joke … Read more
Goon Moon
Licker's Last Leg
Ipecac (2007)
Let's not beat around the bush. Licker's Last Leg is the album Queens of the Stone Age should have put out instead of the bands recent Era Vulgaris. Why the comparison? Well, there's the obvious one founder/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Chris Goss has long been the unofficial fifth Queens of the Stone Age-er for quite some time, appearing on or producing every album … Read more
