KAREN PAGE – S/T

Karen Page’s music hits you like a schizophrenic grandparent: one second they are pinching your cheek and telling you how proud they are of you, and minutes later they’re swinging a broom with hate and disgust. A barrage of rapid-fire guitar licks, thunderous beats, and ferocious vocals are met with unusual tempo changes that throw the listener a musical curve ball.

“Out of the Woodwork” and “The Icebox” open this self-titled album with a super-fast tempo and gut-wrenching vocals, gearing the listener for 13 tracks of ear-bleeding hardcore tracks.

Or so I thought.

The third track, “Your Body is a Wasteland,” dumps the hardcore beat in favor for a catchy popped-up rock sound. Interestingly, the song ends on more of a hardcore note, proving that predicting what the rest of the album was going to sound like would be an impossible task. One of the highlights of the album has to be the eighth track, “Bag of Nerves,” a great laid back piece with intervals of musical insanity. Matt Tluchowski’s vocals on this track are truly impressive due to his ability to change his range and style in an instant.

Musically, these guys are on the top of their game. I’m not usually one for “Cookie Monster” vocals, but Tluchowski’s vocals are fitting and enjoyable. The guitar work is stellar and the drumming is on point. On the surface, Karen Page appears to be another young hardcore band in a sea of hardcore bands, but digging past the surface presents a much deeper sound and style. All too often, musicians can fall into predicable modes, but it’s clear that this album will keep listeners on their toes.

(Rotten Records, PO Box 56, Upland, CA 91785)

TOXIC HOLOCAUST – Hell On Earth

With the reissue of their sophomore release Hell on Earth, Toxic Holocaust returns with their brand of fast paced thrash metal. Like on their debut album, Joel Grind and his band of metal misfits jam out 10-plus tracks dealing with dark and morbid subjects like death, war and hell. Reflecting on their debut album Evil Never Dies, it appears the band took on some subtle changes within the confines of this album. There’s a noticeable difference between how a majority of the songs start. Some start with guitars exclusively or even a bass guitar riff at the beginning of “Time to Die,” giving the album a less repetitive feel. There’s also a noticeable attempt to incorporate more guitar solos, especially during the song “Time to Die.” While it’s clear the band is looking to progress musically, lyrically it still feels essentially cliché and overall unbearable. I definitely applaud their attempts to expand their musical boundaries but in the midst of doing so I feel they lost a lot of that raw energy that made Evil Never Dies so fun to listen to. The potential is there…it’s now just a matter of finding what really works.

(Relapse Records, PO Box 2060, Upper Darby, PA 19082)

TOXIC HOLOCAUST – Evil Never Dies

I must make a confession. As I do with most albums I review, I listen to them while doing various things around the house. Maybe do a little cleaning, wash some dishes, or partake in some online poker. I noticed that while taking in the sounds of Evil Never Dies, I would stop what I was doing and sporadically bang my head, play some mean metal air guitar, and throw up the horns in a fit of rage.

This is the beauty Toxic Holocaust’s audio assault of super-fast beats and blistering guitars. Originally released back in 2003, this reissue pays homage to the thrash metal of yesteryear. The speed doesn’t stop through the 12 featured tracks, making it a pretty much nonstop head-banging experience. Unfortunately, not everything here comes up stellar. While the tracks are fast and well played, they all seem to have a repetitive beat and vocal structure. This makes the tracks pretty much run all together, leaving the listener wondering, “Didn’t I just hear this song?” Joel Grind’s vocals are subpar to say the least. Understanding a majority of the lyrics is nearly impossible as he mumbles throughout the effort. I also felt the subject matter for the songs were a bit too cliché of thrash legends like Megadeth and Slayer. Can we get a little deeper than war and death? I understand what they were attempting to do (pay homage while trying to have their own sound) but it felt more of a rip off than an inspiration. What beauty lies in this album lies in its unrelenting attempt to blow the listener away with ripping guitars backed by a lightning-fast beat. It’s not a masterpiece, but it does its job.

(Relapse Records, PO Box 2060, Upper Darby, PA 19082)

V/A – Take Action Volume 9

In 1999, Hopeless/Sub City Records released the first Take Action compilation with a slew of quality musicians lending their support to the cause. Bands like Alkaline Trio, Hot Water Music, TSOL, and Link 80 dominated the 28-track lineup. It was good music for a good cause (to date, $450,000 has been raised for several charities through the sale of these Take Action albums).

A lot has changed over the course of the nine editions of the Take Action series. Musically, the focus has shifted from punk rock to what I can only describe as “whiny, bitchy emo crap.” Looking at all nine compilations, the level of quality has exponentially taken a turn for the worse year after year — or maybe I’m just not down with hearing about teen angst issues at 28 years old. Nonetheless, this double-disc compilation features bands like We The Kings, The Swellers, Cobra Starship, and Taking Back Sunday.

The first disc contains mostly acoustic cuts that pretty much all sound the same. But not all the tracks on the first disc are acoustic: “Fool Everyone” by A Rocket To The Moon is a dance club track which really doesn’t fit on this album. Some of the other non-acoustic tracks represent the over-produced super poppy sounds that dominate what used to be the “independent” music scene. One of the only bright spots on the first disc would have to be Frank Turner’s acoustic track “Rock and Roll Romance,” for the fact it sounded completely different than the other music featured.

Having to listen to the first half of this album was utter torture to the ears. Like being strapped down in a chair and having Paramore and Fall Out Boy blasting away at your eardrums. Drained and weary, I popped in the second disc. Disc two is dominated by “remixes” that remind me why I stay out of dance clubs. Eight tracks into the second disc you will find “Indonesia” by August Burns Red, a hardcore track that wakes me up a bit with its double-bass drumbeat and ear-gouging vocals. “xxBurritoxx” by Eatmewhileimhot follows next with another hardcore track, but unfortunately the album ends with more men singing like girls.

My advice to those who like this new indie sound is if you see some bands on here you like, chances are you will discover more by picking this up and giving it a spin. It’s not my cup of tea, but I dig those who give to those in need, so make the seven-buck purchase and make a change.

(Sub City Records, PO Box 7495, Van Nuys, CA 91409)

PANTHA DU PRINCE – Black Noise

It’s a never ending battle. The battle between nature and technology. The void between mechanical and manual…digital versus analog. In an attempt to try to find a common ground, Hendrik Weber, a.k.a. Pantha du Prince, has released Black Noise. The Berlin- and Paris-based musician, producer, and visual artist has released this collection of 10 tracks that intermix a collage of ambient found sounds with a dominate Euro house beat. All 10 tracks are built around this simple instrumental equation, minus “Stick to my Side,” which features guest vocals by Noah Lennox of Animal Collective. The album provides great background music and that’s about it; that is unless you are a fan of the genre or you live in a rave. Fans of ambient house should check out this release.

(Rough Trade Records, 66 Golborne Road, London, W10 5PS UK)

STYGIAN – Fury Rising

Fury Rising is the second full-length album from these hard rockers from Philadelphia. Playing off a sound that can only be described as a mix of James Hetfield-inspired vocals with Disturbed-like guitar breakdowns, Fury Rising’s 10 tracks play it safe for the most part. The album is well produced and the music is well played, but it lacks heart. Sometimes when an album is over-produced, it loses that rawness that draws the listener in.

As mentioned, Frank Leary’s vocals attempt to mimic Metallica’s James Hetfield, especially noticeable in the slowed down acoustic song “My Regret.” Stygian seems to pull inspiration from all over the rock spectrum. “Last Redemption” and “The Fear” come across with an Alice in Chains sound. One of the bright spots with this album is Patrick Hayden’s guitar work, as he’s featured throughout the album on several solos. The guy can seriously shred! While there’s nothing terrible with Fury Rising, there’s nothing really special here, minus Hayden’s solos. It feels like nothing is original or unique to Stygian’s sound. As I said, musically and lyrically they play it safe. Nothing I can’t find on any ClearChannel radio station.

(Mortal Music Group, PO Box 661, Lake Zurich, IL 60047)