The HomefrontApparently these Massachusetts natives have a lot of buzz going for them and it's easy to understand when they feature ex-members of Guns Up!, Have Heart, and Verse all of which have been bands on the tip of the tongues of the kids in the know of 00's hardcore. They haven't been around all that long, only since 2005 and other than this I'm not sure of any previous releases, though I'm sure they have some demos.
Well the press sheet wasn't joking when they said that this is hardcore in the vein of Bane,With Honor (the old WH at least) and Modern Life Is War. With all of those names dropped it seems this album is destined for greatness. Well, yes and no. For the most part they sound like the old With Honor (which everyone was jocking) and every now and then they throw in a MLIW moment which is extremely noticeable in the intro of "Against The Tide". And though the songs are tight and the vocals are pretty sweet it does little to stand out from all the great bands from MA.
I hate to keep drawing comparisons to MLIW but the lyrics definitely remind me of them. The song "Escape (fuck this town)" seems like it would be right at home on "Witness". The majority of the lyrics are about doing things for yourself, as a band trying to get out on the road and what not. While it's good it is far from capturing the urgency and word play of the bands they are trying to emulate.
Solid recording job done by Jay Maas of the The Getaway Group. With the type of hardcore taken into consideration this album was recorded exceptionally well. The guitar has that great balance of brightness and distortion. I really liked the tone on the drums minus the low level on the bass drum. The bass is on point, the lines are mixed in nicely when they follow the guitar and have good presence when needed. Good placement on the vocals.
Nicely drawn layout that fits into the title of the record, as well as the band's name itself. The front cover has a wounded man holding a gun and a white flag, obviously defending the "homefront". The back of the album is an open door with some fire and bombs wrecking havoc on a nice little rural area. The booklet is pretty cool too, the picture on the back of the book ties into the one on the back of the tray and the silhouetted photo that utilizes the colors of the layout was definitely a nice touch. The lyrics are displayed over three panels with a gray backdrop with the head of the guy on the front cover (which you don't see on the front cover).
Rating: 3/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: Against The Tide and Midnight Society
Synopsis: Solid. The recording is good, the layout is nice, the music is just...solid. I mean if you eat up this kind of hardcore I would suggest checking this out but if you listen to a broad range of music I would stick to the band's these guys are influenced by. It's not bad just solid.