The Handshake Murders

Usurper (Goodfellow)
by Scott Hefflon

No emo metal for these Arkansas noise mongers. Some feedback and D-tuned goodness like Machine Head nailed with their debut, and some pit-swirl breakdown for the moshers. Hardcore roar like Coalesce and such, some nice trudge and stutter, and even some swagger. Vocals are pretty one-dimensional, but the sludge makes it more than just another decent genre band. Try yet again to get Goodfellow to put their bands on the mp3 CD.
(www.goodfellowrecords.com)