Identity Crisis (Sub City)
by Scott Hefflon
Good record title, seeing as this SoCal melodic hardcore band flip-flops amidst hardcore roar (West Coast Revelation-style, not East Coast metalcore-style), melodic punkpop (though a little harder and with more, er, metal riffery), and, well, just plain fuckin’ metal. Funny: A few years ago, any spiky-haired dork in an over-sized tee woulda screwed-up his pimpy face at a guitar solo in his steady diet of pop-punk, but now everyone is embracing glam rock and, in this case, technical scales and fretboard gymnastics reeking of thrash and speedmetal. Thrice go beyond NOFX drumming, they enter full-on Metallica “Battery” territory. And good for them. This is a re-issue of a sold-out earlier pressing meant to simply wet yer whistle; there’s a new full-length due out soon.
(PO Box 7495 Van Nuys, CA 91409)