Imagine the progressive arrangements of Dream Theater, accompanied by a siren whose voice is flavored by a Gothic and metal undercarriage. This is Exordium.
Taking the guitar tweaking of Edward Van Halen and spiking it thru the post-punk herk ‘n’ jerk of those days is using the musical language to full advantange.
Scoville Unit pays homage to the effortlessness of Buddy Holly, the innocence of Simon & Garfunkel, the melancholy of REM, & the fluidity of Belle & Sebastian.
While I must applaud Scarve for the powerful, shapeshifting sorting of technical/groove metal on Irradiant, the sound is too reminiscent of Darkane/Meshuggah.
For a decade and a half, this band discharged from the bowels of Venom, Death, and Deicide comes across in a sharp, swarming display of shred and skillfulness.
Promises unreleased and ancient goodies, but merely repackages available material. The European version has the first two demos and a fuckload of bonus songs.
On the debut from Chicago post-punk group The Junior Varsity, the moody pop of old Jimmy Eat World tracks meets the viciously lovelorn lyrics of Alkaline Trio.
The glossy guitars and hand-clapping on The Inevitable Breakups’ debut EP brings to mind hits like “867-5309 Jenny” and “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”