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Chore Take My Mask and Breathe (Sonic Unyon) Whoa, Nelly! Naming a song after the ill-fated TV disaster "Cop Rock"?! Apparently we're dealing with true genius here. Well, okay, "genius" may be a bit farfetched, but Chore's brand of emo-popcore is no headscratcher. At times the boys do manage to get caught up in their own muck and their "everything-and-the-kitchen sink" approach to songwriting can get irritating, but the melodic heaviosity in their demented ditties more than makes up for it. It's no singing cops and dancing junkies, but then again what is? 8/10 (Johnson Cummins)
By a Thread The Last of the Daydreams (Land Speed Record)
Grip Inc. Solidify (Attic/ Metal Blade)
Various Nitemares From Rotterdam: The U.S. Edition (Moonshine) U.K Gabberhead: "Royght mahn! Fecking A! This bluddy comp will kick yeh stroyght in tha smegging nads, mahn! Iss oll piss 'n' vinigah! Oo-eva wonts tew bash their bleedin' bluddy bloomin' brains against tha woll will need a soundtrack, yeh? En this is it!" American Metal Dude: "Dewd, like, wut IZ this, man? Like, whoa." Seasoned Canadian Raver: "Boring. Where's the complexity? Just a bit of thought here and there would make some of these tracks all the better. Personally, I like a little brains in my gabber soup." U.K Gabberhead: "Oy mate, there's sum fecking brains on that woll there, yeh?" 6/10 (Lateef Martin)
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Remember that band Sunny Day Real Estate? They were poised for greatness until the carpet of grunge was pulled out from under their feet. I don't know if it's something in the Pacific Northwest's air, but this band of Vancouverites sure sound a hell of a lot like them. Great singing set to a Quicksand/Sparkmarker beat. The only things that are grating is the "could someone give me a hug" lyrics and the Brian Baker (Bad Religion/Dag Nasty) guitar playing, but good songwriting make it easy to overlook. All in all, a pretty impressive debut, and it kind of sounds like Korn for housewives, so it should be huge, right? 7.5/10 (Johnson Cummins)
What makes Slayer so brilliant is their stubborn refusal to acknowledge any outside musical influences at all. On the other hand, Grip Inc. (feat. ex-Slayer batteur Dave Lombardo) reach for higher branches, more often than not falling on their asses. Guitarist/producer Waldemar Sorychta more than holds his own with Mr. Lombardo, but their constant need to stretch the boundaries of metal leaves us chasing after them. It's only in the last song, "Bug Juice," that Lombardo really stretches out and we hear some interesting things start to happen. 7/10 (Johnson Cummins)