Seahaven "Ghost"

I had heard a lot about this band and decided to give it a listen. Apparently Seahaven features a former member of Final Fight in the band. This band has no resemblence at all to Final Fight's melodic-hardcore attack. Instead Ghost sounds more like your usual indie/emo record. And it's a damn good one at that.

This is titled as an EP but it has 7 songs and they are all of a long length. I can't complain the longer the songs, the more insight I get into what this band is about. Soaring choruses, clean guitar passages jammed together with shimmering scales. Deeply personal lyrics sung with the power of the "hook" in mind. By track 5 the record begins to drag but then the next track, "Love" hits with it's catchy pop sensibilities and brings it back on track. Ghost is a very enjoyable listen. Im not really a fan of the artwork though. It seems like they were trying a little to hard to be different but really it's nothing we havent already seen . But that is besides the point. It's a great EP. If you are into Brand New or a band somewhere along those lines, this is for you.

My vote...

Tis the season for everyone to cast their votes on which record they thought was the best of 2010. Well this is mine: Integrity's The Blackest Curse. I haven't seen it on many other people's lists and that's a shame. It recieved a lot of favorable reviews upon release but I feel like it didn't get much recognition. This record is exactly what you'd hope for a genre defining band such as Integrity to sound like in the new decade. It is all at once evil, epic and heavy as all holy terror.

I am an Integrity fan. Some people love them, hate them or just don't care enough about them to pick a side. This is one of the most storied bands in hardcore for better or worse. To me, the music has always withstood all of the rumors and negative attention this band gets. That is why this album was so exciting to me. I didn't have many high expectations for it and I was completely floored once the record came in the mail. It's as if all of the material of Integrity 2000 and it's kind didn't even exist. It feels like such a natural progression of their old material while still keeping up with the times.

The album opener "Process of Illumination" lets you know whats in store. Another classic creepy sound clip, another punishingly evil riff and more indecipherable Dwid vocals. Some suprises on the record; the epic and hauntingly beautiful metal of "Through the Shadows of Forever" and the exotic dueling guitar solo's of "Spiderwoven".

The record only came with a poster so I couldn't tell you what the hell the lyrics are about and quite frankly even if I did I probably wouldn't get it. While on the subject of that giant poster, I 'd just like to say that the album artwork perfectly matches this record. It's dark, grainy, and scary because I have no idea what it is or where it came from. Much the same with these 10 songs. It's hard to pin-point what kind of genre of fans this record would please. Upon first listen you can hear classic Integrity metalcore, speed metal, and dare I say, traces of black metal are definately present.

What I'm saying is that The Blackest Curse stands on it's own and no other ecord in 2010 sounded like it. I was a little disappointed that the band didn't play any new tracks off of this record at either of their 2 SoCal shows that they played this year. And say what you will about Integrity playing as a scab lineup, it's still fun to see those classic songs played out to a packed room of fans chanting along.

Put aside all of the BS that gets thrown around messageboards and blogs revolving around Integrity and listen. Truth is that this record killed it and this is what you should remember this band for.

Killing The Dream "Lucky Me"

Here we have one of the most anticipated records of 2010, the return of Sacramento's Killing The Dream. The new album out on Deathwish, Lucky Me, finds the band taking a turn for the EPIC. That's not a bad thing as sometimes it seems hardcore can become over simplified, so it's nice when a band is trying to push the boundaries of the genre. The only trouble is that expanding the sound of hardcore can be hit or miss. Such is the case with "Lucky Me"; while being an overall engaging record, there are parts that are less than desirable.

Lets start with the opener "Blame the Architects" which kicks off the album with vocalist Elijah Horner's hoarse screams as a great intro to the chaos that ensues. This song is probably the most divers on the record as it features an off time tempo and of all things- violins. And well, it works. Violins suit the track perfectly as it helps to build the emotion and momentum of the songs just before it comes to a screeching halt. "Walking Diseased" snaps you back into the usual KTD breakneck tempo as it hurls you into the destructive depths that follow. Another standout is the final track "Black" which features a stunning one minute intro full of enchanting guitar, echoed screams, and tribal drumbeats fueling the power and rage of the song that closes Lucky Me out. Such a great ending.

It's not all perfect though. Take for example track 3, "Testimony" Now, I'm not hating on this song just because it features the singer of Dance Gavin, Dance and blah, blah, blah...but really he just DOESN'T SOUND GOOD! High pitched, off note singing never does. The rest of the song has it's moments though so try and not let the singing kill it for you. I also wish there was a little more to the instrumental track "Part IV (Sinner's Future)".

Some people were saying "Hey there's only 7 songs, that's not an LP!" I to was skeptical on the length of the record, but after listening, Lucky Me plays out and feels like a full length. 7 songs is good; there are no fillers and every track has it's chance to shine. As far as the J. Bannon artwork, it might seem a little to familiar, but hey it still looks cool. I for one think the album cover is rad.

This isn't a perfect record, but it's nowhere near bad. More like, "just right"

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