New Found Glory - Not WIthout A Fight (2009)

With guitar hooks you could use to pick up a small animal, NFG still continue to nail their colours ever so proudly to the pop punk mast. Aptly titled opener, 'Right Where We Left off', wrestles bouncingly with an oft-visited subject matter of theirs - lust as a weapon and the pitfalls attached to feelings of it. The balance between chugging rhythm and the bemused vocal projection of Jordan Pundik, is something that producer Mark Hoppus has obviously paid some attention to. A more stirring take on punk 'Listen To Your Friends', whilst having a typical high school rock theme comes from the school of yearning song-building that is synonymous with British punks A; especially in the more drawn out vocals akin to the style Jason Perry has always used to good effect. It may come as a dose of bitter disappointment to those who have followed these Florida tykes over the past decade and more, but there is an element of maturity to the lyrics and the song style tends to draw out the mood a lot more. 'Truck Stop Blues' displays better than most their meaningful lyrical strut, as life on the road is robbed of its glory; "I'm in a different state every night, we're kept together by telephone lines. The mile markers help me count down the next time I'll be around, the only thing I rely on is fallen leaves." Old skool Rock N' Roll riffs gives 'I'll Never Love Again' a nostalgic edge and their heavier side is leant on in the metal touching 'Reasons', and continues into the demoralised 'Such A Mess'. There is a veil of darkness that is beginning to hide some of the frivolity, and an emo trickle runs through the album - especially in the lyrics. Every album of this ilk needs a tear-jerking power ballad and, in 'Heartless At Best' New Found Glory has just this. 'Don't Let This Be The End', is the epitome of the ballsy, pop punk sound that has given this Florida troupe continuing success. It looks like they still have the vigour and rhythm to keep it going for some years yet.

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Earth Crisis - To The Dead (2009)

Holy Bejebus! Earth Crisis is back! One of my all-time favorite bands ever returns with their first album in 9 years entitled, To The Death, and it’s by far their heaviest material to date.
I’m sure you are recalling the nightmares that were Slither and Last Of The Sane. I implore you to try to scratch those travesties from your brain, for it seems that the band has done the same. Gone are the nu-metal overtones, clean vocals, and those silly pleather jackets. It seems that Earth Crisis took the criticism to heart from those last two outings and ditched all the negative aspects of what their music became. They even went as far to not return to the now terrible label they were apart of.
Oh, and how can I forget about the message. An Earth Crisis record wouldn’t be an Earth Crisis record without a purely pissed message about Veganism and Straightedge. You definitely still get your healthy dose of both in a way only Karl Buechner can dish it out. The title track to this album takes a cue from the title track of Gomorrah’s Season Ends and becomes the Vegan anthem for the band stating “VEGAN-FOR LIFE” in the final four bars. I’m sure you get the comparisons between the songs.
This album is so good that it makes me forget all about Slither. Normally when bands reunite after a few or even after a lot of years, a lot of fans do not want new material for fear that they’ll ruin a good thing. Well if a band is going to do a comeback album this is the type of stuff they should shoot for. This album has me excited for Earth Crisis again. Now if only they’d play a show at the TLA with Indecision and All Out War again, my life would be complete.

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VA - Punk Goes Pop Volume 2 (2009)

I can no longer feign youth after hearing “in the name of fun” compilations like Punk Goes Pop Vol. 2. Don’t cry for me, though; cry for Fearless Records. They’re killing music and they don’t care. These compilations make Yoko Ono’s treachery look laughable, even benign. Hearing Escape The Fate slather Carlos Santana’s “Smooth” with teenage screams is like watching your parents have sex with your dog. Listening to August Burns Red sing - excuse me, growl - classic Britney Spears is disrespectful, even if their inspiration is an umbrella wielding, hair shaving lunatic.
A Day To Strong and Four Year Remember pick two completely different songs, yet somehow make them sound exactly alike. ADTR’s take on “Over My Head (Cable Car)” might also be on Homesick, but there’s no way to be sure. Four Year Strong use a bit too much clean singing on Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song”, and only some expected-yet-satisfying gang vocals save the song.

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Silverstein - A Shipwreck In The Sands (2009)

Shipwreck features 14 tracks that span over 4 chapters. Produced by Cameron Webb, the album showcases a variety of tempos, speeds, and compositions. Tracks such as the opener, “A Great Fire,” strike hard and often, while others slow down the pace to create strong crescendos, with “You’re All I Have” being a prime example.
This isn’t a perfect album. Instead, it is an enjoyable, catchy album that digs deeper than most bands in its genre. A Shipwreck In The Sand is a showcase of a band continuing their journey on reaching their full potential. You know you wanna give Shipwreck a spin, your curiosity is burning.

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Leathermouth - XØ (2009)

Leathermouth formed in 2007 by some friends of My Chemical Romance's rhythm guitarist Frank Iero. In October 2008, Leathermouth signed to Epitaph Records as opposed to Frank Iero's label as originally planned. Iero thought that it would be difficult to promote the album himself, if released through his own label, with his current obligations to My Chemical Romance and the other bands signed to his label. Epitaph Records president, Brett Gurewitz, was impressed with the band's "intensity and songwriting of the music." Leathermouth released their first studio album on January 27, 2009 through Epitaph entitled XO. Although the album did not chart on the Billboard 200, it did reach #21 on the Top Heatseekers chart.

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The Year Ends In Arson - Vessels (2009)

The Year Ends In Arson is a five piece metal/hardcore act hailing from Orlando, FL. With pummeling breakdowns, catchier than hell choruses and bi-polar vocals, these swampland natives make sure that every single performance feels like their last one. Sounding like a mix between Motley Crue, Killswitch Engage and Trivium, not only do these guys serve up a record with attitude for miles, but they have also forged a truly unique sound.

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In Fear And Faith - Your World On Fire (2009)

Rise Records has a way with surprising me with their early January releases. While the whole metalcore scene doesn't exactly coincide with my usual musical preferences, I try to give everything a fair shot, and early last year I was rewarded with For the Fallen Dreams' Changes and the now-defunct Here I Come Falling's Oh Grave, Where Is Thy Victory. The former's skill at intertwining atmospheric guitar lines with thundering riffs and the latter's knack with a hook made them both a cut above what I would have expected. Just about a year later, enter In Fear and Faith with their debut full-length Your World on Fire, the follow-up to their late-2007 EP Voyage. Make no mistake about it, Your World on Fire is not a scene-changing record. In Fear and Faith are far from the first band to pit soaring hooks in a head-to-head battle against brutal breakdowns, but they're good enough at it that they're sure to make some serious waves.
Despite being relatively new kids on the block, In Fear and Faith draw some high profile guest appearances in the form of Craig Owens (Chiodos) and Jeremy McKinnon (A Day to Remember). I can't say I'm a real fan of either frontman or their bands, but both make valuable contributions. "The Road to Hell Is Paved with Good Intentions" is one of the strongest tracks, due in part to Owens' delivery. In addition to having a Chiodos-like title, the song features some twinkling piano that wouldn't have sounded out-of-place on Bone Palace Ballet and perhaps the best use of melody on the record.
For the band who drew their name from a much-beloved track from Juturna (a better choice than "The Glorious Nosebleed," I must say), this is a worthy effort in a oversaturated genre. While there are countless bands falling under the general rubric of metalcore who can bring the breakdowns and vocal vitriol, fewer do melody quite so skillfully, while incorporating some captivating piano sections as well. Go in with the right expectations andYour World on Fire is an enjoyable release that will likely satisfy the palate of anyone looking for an aural pummeling with some catchy hooks on the side.

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