Angel Du$t - A.D.

Who:  Angel Du$t

What:  Debut studio album released by React Records/Reaper Records.

When:  June 2014

Where:  Baltimore, MD

Why:   Trapped Under Ice, Turnstile, and Diamond Youth members try to reinvent the wheel by mixing all styles of punk rock together at the same time.

[The Radness Average (or star rating) is derived from assigning each song a number of stars based on a 1-5 scale, then adding the total number of stars, and then dividing that number of total stars by the number of songs on the record. A Radness Average of 4.0 or higher indicates a good or great record. A Radness Average of 2.0 or less indicates pure crap. Everything else is in the middle somewhere.]

Angel Du$t - A.D. - React/Reaper

1.  A.D. -- **
2.  Smash You Up -- ***
3.  Let It Rot -- ****
4.  Beat My Brain -- ****
5.  Take My Love -- *****
6.  Squeeze -- ***
7.  A.D.D. -- ****
8.  Stepping Stone -- ***
9.  Poison -- ****
10.  Big One -- **
11.  Pacify Me -- ***
12.  Set Me Up -- ****


Radness Average:  3.417


Angel Du$t - A.D.


Verdict:  Pretty good for a scattershot effort by a band still trying to find its voice.

For fans of:  Down To Nothing, A Day To Remember, New Found Glory, Bouncing Souls

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7 Seconds - Leave A Light On

Who:  7 Seconds

What:  Thirteenth full-length album, and first on Rise Records, from this long-running straightedge punk band.

When:  May 2014

Where:  Reno, NV

Why:   Unlike the lame-asses reuniting to cash in on the nostalgia wave, 7 Seconds never left!

[The Radness Average (or star rating) is derived from assigning each song a number of stars based on a 1-5 scale, then adding the total number of stars, and then dividing that number of total stars by the number of songs on the record. A Radness Average of 4.0 or higher indicates a good or great record. A Radness Average of 2.0 or less indicates pure crap. Everything else is in the middle somewhere.]

7 Seconds - Leave A Light On - Rise Records

1.  Exceptional -- *****
2.  Upgrade Everything -- *****
3.  Slogan on a Shirt -- ****
4.  I Have Faith in You -- *****
5.  30 Years (and still going wrong)  -- *****
6.  Leave A Light On -- *****
7.  Empty Spots -- ***
8.  Your Hate Mentality -- ****
9.  My Aim Is You -- *****
10.  Rage Quit -- ****
11.  Heads Are Bound to Roll -- ***
12.  Standing By Yourself --  ****
13.  Someday, Some Way -- ****
14.  Simple or Absolute -- ****


Radness Average:  4.286


7 Seconds - Leave A Light On


Verdict:  The members of 7 Seconds prove that they've still got it while resisting the urge to morph into grumpy old men a la Bob Mould.

For fans of:  Youth Brigade, Social Distortion, Propaghandi, Husker Du, Minor Threat

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'68 - In Humor and Sadness

Who:  '68

What:  Debut album released on eOne/Good Fight.

When:  July 2014

Where:  Atlanta, GA

Why:  Former mainman of The Chariot channels his inner White Stripes.

[The Radness Average (or star rating) is derived from assigning each song a number of stars based on a 1-5 scale, then adding the total number of stars, and then dividing that number of total stars by the number of songs on the record. A Radness Average of 4.0 or higher indicates a good or great record. A Radness Average of 2.0 or less indicates pure crap. Everything else is in the middle somewhere.]

'68 - In Humor and Sadness - eOne/Good Fight

1.  Track 1 R -- *****
2.  Track 2 E -- *****
3.  Track 3 G -- ****
4.  Track 4 R -- ***
5.  Track 5 E -- *****
6.  Track 6 T -- ***
7.  Track 7 N -- ***
8.  Track 8 O -- *****
9.  Track 9 T -- **
10.  Track 10 . -- *



Radness Average:  3.600


'68 - In Humor and Sadness


Verdict:  Solid debut gets crippled by unoriginal riffs and ideas.

For fans of:  The White Stripes, Jack White, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather

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Aborted - The Necrotic Manifesto

Who:  Aborted

What:  Eighth studio album of Belgian slam/gore/death metal on Century Media.

When:  April 2014

Where:  Waregem, BEL

Why:   This band is the middle ground between Carcass and The Acacia Strain.

[The Radness Average (or star rating) is derived from assigning each song a number of stars based on a 1-5 scale, then adding the total number of stars, and then dividing that number of total stars by the number of songs on the record. A Radness Average of 4.0 or higher indicates a good or great record. A Radness Average of 2.0 or less indicates pure crap. Everything else is in the middle somewhere.]

Aborted - The Necrotic Manifesto - Century Media

1.  Six Feet of Foreplay -- ****
2.  The Extripation Agenda -- *****
3.  The Necrotic Manifesto -- *****
4.  An Enumeration of Cadavers -- *****
5.  Your Entitlement Means Nothing -- *****
6.  The Davidian Deceit -- ****
7.  Coffin Upon Coffin -- *****
8.  Chronicles of Detruncation -- *****
9.  Sade & Eibertine Lunacy -- *****
10.  Die Verzweiflung -- *****
11.  Excremental Veracity -- *****
12.  Purity of Perversion -- *****
13.  Of Dead Skin & Decay -- *****
14.  Cenobites -- ****


Radness Average:  4.786


Aborted - The Necrotic Manifesto


Verdict:  More of that Western European mosh/slam/death that you know and love. Beavis & Butthead approved!

For fans of:  Carcass, The Acacia Strain, Devourment, Impaled, Dying Fetus




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The Abandoned Hearts Club - Rarities

Who:  The Abandoned Hearts Club

What:  Collection CD of stray compilation tracks. Released on Robotic Empire.

When:  October 2009

Where:  Toronto, ON

Why:   Obscure recordings from a criminally underrated band. Contains the band's best song, "Experimenting With Maturity."

[The Radness Average (or star rating) is derived from assigning each song a number of stars based on a 1-5 scale, then adding the total number of stars, and then dividing that number of total stars by the number of songs on the record. A Radness Average of 4.0 or higher indicates a good or great record. A Radness Average of 2.0 or less indicates pure crap. Everything else is in the middle somewhere.]

The Abandoned Hearts Club - Rarities - Robotic Empire

1.  Metropolitan Sentences -- ****
2.  The Enthusiast -- *****
3.  Theme Song From The Film Noir Volatility Perversion -- *****
4.  Experimenting With Maturity -- *****


Radness Average:  4.750


The Abandoned Hearts Club - Rarities


Verdict:  Never got to finish the fabled first LP. What could have been...

For fans of:  The Dillinger Escape Plan, Botch, Death From Above 1979, Deadguy, Rorschach

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Terror - One With The Underdogs

Who:  Terror

What:  Second studio album released on Trustkill Records.

When:  July 2004

Where:  Los Angeles, CA

Why:   The record that launched these ex-Buried Alive and ex-Carry On members into the big time.

Back When:  I previously wrote about One With The Underdogs back in April 2009 when the album was a new release. Click here to read the original review.

[The Radness Average (or star rating) is derived from assigning each song a number of stars based on a 1-5 scale, then adding the total number of stars, and then dividing that number of total stars by the number of songs on the record. A Radness Average of 4.0 or higher indicates a good or great record. A Radness Average of 2.0 or less indicates pure crap. Everything else is in the middle somewhere.]

Terror - One With The Underdogs - Trustkill Records

1.  One with the Underdogs -- *****
2.  Keep Your Mouth Shut -- *****
3.  Less Than Zero -- ****
4.  Are We Alive -- *****
5.  Overcome -- *****
6.  Spit My Rage - *****
7.  No One Cares -- ****
8.  Not This Time -- *****
9.  Crushed -- ****
10.  Out of my Face -- *****
11.  All I've Got -- ****
12.  Find My Way -- *****
13.  Enemies in Sight -- *****


Radness Average:  4.692


Terror - One With The Underdogs


Verdict:  I hesitate to use the word "legendary" but this highly-regarded album has aged very well.

For fans of:  Hatebreed, Donnybrook, Grimlock, Ten Yard Fight, Ringworm




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Truckfighters - Universe

Who:  Truckfighters

What:  Fourth studio album released on Fuzzorama Records.

When:  January 2014

Where:  Orebro, SWE

Why:   Swedish stoner/fuzz band sets its sights on North America.

[The Radness Average (or star rating) is derived from assigning each song a number of stars based on a 1-5 scale, then adding the total number of stars, and then dividing that number of total stars by the number of songs on the record. A Radness Average of 4.0 or higher indicates a good or great record. A Radness Average of 2.0 or less indicates pure crap. Everything else is in the middle somewhere.]

Truckfighters - Universe - Fuzzorama Records

1.  Mind Control -- *****
2.  The Chairman -- *****
3.  Convention -- ***
4.  Get Lifted -- ***
5.  Prophet -- ****
6.  Dream Sale -- ****
7. Mastodont -- ****


Radness Average:  4.000


Truckfighters - Universe


Verdict:  Solid and well-received album is not the international breakthrough hoped for by the band.

For fans of:  The Sword, ASG, Fight Amp, American Sharks, Clutch

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Various Artists - Victory Spring Rock Sampler 2014

Who:  Most of the Victory Records lineup.

What:  A compilation CD containing the latest singles from all of these bands.

When:  April 2014

Where:  The label is based out of Chicago, IL.

Why:   I've loved this compilation series since it was originally called Victory Style. That said, not all of these songs are winners.

[The Radness Average (or star rating) is derived from assigning each song a number of stars based on a 1-5 scale, then adding the total number of stars, and then dividing that number of total stars by the number of songs on the record. A Radness Average of 4.0 or higher indicates a good or great record. A Radness Average of 2.0 or less indicates pure crap. Everything else is in the middle somewhere.]

Various Artists - Victory Spring Rock Sampler 2014 - Victory Records

1.  Emmure (Queens, NY) - "Nemesis" -- ****
2.  Comeback Kid (Winnipeg, MB) - "Should Know Better" -- ****
3.  The Bunny The Bear (Buffalo, NY) - "Pale Green Eyes" -- *
4.  Reverend Horton Heat (Dallas, TX) - "Let Me Teach You How To Eat" -- *****
5.  Close Your Eyes (Abilene, TX) - "The End" -- *
6.  Seeker (Dallas, TX) - "When Hope Fails" -- ***
7.  Neurotic November (Miami, FL) - "Nonchalant" -- **
8.  Erimha (Montreal, QC) - "Condemned to Desolation" -- ****
9.  Tear Out the Heart (St. Louis, MO) - "Dead by Dawn" -- **
10.  Islander (Geenville, SC) - "New Colors" -- **
11.  Terror (Los Angeles, CA) - "Hard Lessons" -- *****
12.  Counterparts (Hamilton, ON) - "Compass" -- **
13.  Darkness Divided (San Antonio, TX) - "Remnants" -- **
14.  Ill Nino (Newark, NJ) - "La Epidemia" -- ****
15.  Sister Sin (Gothenburg, SWE) - "Fight Song" -- *
16.  Wretched (Charlotte, NC) - "Karma Accomplished" -- ****
17.  A Day To Remember (Ocala, FL) - "The Downfall of Us All" -- ***


Radness Average:  2.882


Various Artists - Victory Spring Rock Sampler 2014


Verdict:  The same old Victory as always. Half of this is miserable crap. The other half will blow your mind.

For fans of:  Any of the bands on this compilation.

\m/

The Abandoned Hearts Club - Live on CIUT 89.5 FM

Who:  The Abandoned Hearts Club

What:  Short set recorded live at the University of Toronto's CIUT 89.5 FM. Self-released by the band.

When:  2002

Where:  Toronto, ON

Why:   This CD-R was limited to 20 copies and given away by the band in the Toronto area. You have a genuine collectible if you own a physical copy of this.

[The Radness Average (or star rating) is derived from assigning each song a number of stars based on a 1-5 scale, then adding the total number of stars, and then dividing that number of total stars by the number of songs on the record. A Radness Average of 4.0 or higher indicates a good or great record. A Radness Average of 2.0 or less indicates pure crap. Everything else is in the middle somewhere.]

The Abandoned Hearts Club - Live on CIUT 89.5 FM - self-released

1.  Theme Song from the Film Noir Volatility Perversion -- *****
2.  The Abstraction of Form and Function -- *****



Radness Average:  5.000


The Abandoned Hearts Club - Live on CIUT 89.5 FM


Verdict:  Unfortunately, this is a glorified single. Only EP length recordings or longer are eligible for the No Funeral Perfect Album Award.

For fans of:  The Dillinger Escape Plan, Between the Buried and Me, Death From Above 1979, Deadguy, Rorschach

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Turnstile - Step 2 Rhythm

Who:  Turnstile

What:  The second 7" EP by this Trapped Under Ice side project.

When:  February 2013

Where:  Baltimore, MD

Why:   This was supposed to be Turnstile's breakthrough into the mainstream. As of September 2014, that breakthrough has yet to happen.

Back When:  Click here to read the original review of Step 2 Rhythm which was written last year.

[The Radness Average (or star rating) is derived from assigning each song a number of stars based on a 1-5 scale, then adding the total number of stars, and then dividing that number of total stars by the number of songs on the record. A Radness Average of 4.0 or higher indicates a good or great record. A Radness Average of 2.0 or less indicates pure crap. Everything else is in the middle somewhere.]

Turnstile - Step 2 Rhythm - Reaper Records

1.  7 -- *****
2.  Keep It Moving -- *****
3.  Canned Heat -- *****
4.  Pushing Me Away -- *****
5.  Better Way -- *****
6.  Snaked -- *****
7.  Step To Rhythm -- *****


Radness Average:  5.000


Turnstile - Step 2 Rhythm


Verdict:  The songs were there. The album ruled. Let this be a lesson that, even in the best of conditions, major-label-land (or trying to be a part of it) is a crap shoot.

For fans of:  Angel Du$t, Down To Nothing, Die Young, Twitching Tongues

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Skope - The Casino EP

Who:  Skope

What:  New release by this reclusive dupstep artist on Caliber Music.

When:  January 2014

Where:  Somewhere in Great Britain.

Why:   To mix it up. I'm not the biggest EDM fan on the planet but this is pretty good.

[The Radness Average (or star rating) is derived from assigning each song a number of stars based on a 1-5 scale, then adding the total number of stars, and then dividing that number of total stars by the number of songs on the record. A Radness Average of 4.0 or higher indicates a good or great record. A Radness Average of 2.0 or less indicates pure crap. Everything else is in the middle somewhere.]

Skope - The Casino EP - Caliber Music

1.  Roll 'Em -- *****
2.  Neon Gangster -- ****
3.  Hands Up -- ***
4.  G n' T -- **


Radness Average:  3.500


Skope - The Casino EP


Verdict:  The songs get progressively worse but I'm not the best judge of this sort of thing.

For fans of:  Skrillex, Steve Aoki, DJ Keoki, shitty Austin raves

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Uneeda - The Handout demo

Who:  Uneeda

What:  Self-released demo cassette from these trill Newfoundland punks.

When:  February 2012

Where:  St. John, NL

Why:   Thrash metal-influenced pop-punk makes for an interesting listen. Think Metallica meets NoFX.

[The Radness Average (or star rating) is derived from assigning each song a number of stars based on a 1-5 scale, then adding the total number of stars, and then dividing that number of total stars by the number of songs on the record. A Radness Average of 4.0 or higher indicates a good or great record. A Radness Average of 2.0 or less indicates pure crap. Everything else is in the middle somewhere.]

Uneeda - The Handout demo - self-released

1.  Flat Drunk -- ***
2.  Afraid to Fall -- *****
3.  untitled instrumental -- ***
4.  Skulls (The Misfits) -- ***
5.  Dust in the Wind (Kansas) -- ****



Radness Average:  3.600


Uneeda - Handout demo


Verdict:  Hit-and-miss affair but I want to hear more from this band.

For fans of:  NoFX, Lagwagon, Masked Intruder, The Bombpops, Zeke

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The Abandoned Hearts Club - The Initial Confessions of the Abandoned Hearts Club

Who:  The Abandoned Hearts Club

What:  First 7" EP of this Ontario band's brand of noisecore. Released on Init Records.

When:  August 2004

Where:  Toronto, ON

Why:   The debut recording of a criminally underrated band.

[The Radness Average (or star rating) is derived from assigning each song a number of stars based on a 1-5 scale, then adding the total number of stars, and then dividing that number of total stars by the number of songs on the record. A Radness Average of 4.0 or higher indicates a good or great record. A Radness Average of 2.0 or less indicates pure crap. Everything else is in the middle somewhere.]

The Abandoned Hearts Club - The Initial Confessions of the Abandoned Hearts Club - Init Records

1.  Consensus Emptiness and the Never Encore Obsession -- *****
2.  The Failure A Posteriori -- ****
3.  Elvis Presley's Rock and Roll War Effort -- ****
4.  The Abstration of Form and Function -- *****


Radness Average:  4.500


The Abandoned Hearts Club - The Initial Confessions of the Abandoned Hearts Club


Verdict:  I really wish that this band was still around. Reunion?

For fans of:  The Dillinger Escape Plan, Botch, Death From Above 1979, Deadguy, Rorschach

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Various Artists - We Are Triumphant Nu-Metal Cover Sampler

Who:  Various artists from the We Are Triumphant Records lineup.

What:  A compilation of deathcore bands covering nu-metal bands.

When:  May 2014

Where:  The label is based out of Rockland, MA.

Why:   I've got to know what it sounds like when someone covers Saliva. Terrible, it turns out.

[The Radness Average (or star rating) is derived from assigning each song a number of stars based on a 1-5 scale, then adding the total number of stars, and then dividing that number of total stars by the number of songs on the record. A Radness Average of 4.0 or higher indicates a good or great record. A Radness Average of 2.0 or less indicates pure crap. Everything else is in the middle somewhere.]

Various Artists - W.A.T. Nu-Metal Cover Sampler - We Are Triumphant Records

1.  Immoralist (Richmond, VA) - "Psychosocial" (Slipknot) -- ****
2.  Extortionist (Spokane, WA) - "Click-Click Boom!" (Saliva) -- *
3.  Dealey Plaza (Ft. Myers, FL) - "Falling Away from Me" (Korn) -- *
4.  Feign (Houston, TX) - "Dig" (Mudvayne) -- ****


Radness Average:  2.500


Various Artists - We Are Triumphant Nu-Metal Cover Sampler


Verdict:  Two decent songs and two terrible songs make for a sub-par Radness Average.

For fans of:  Within Ruins, The Acacia Strain, Barrier, REX, Emmure

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ABACABB - Survivalist

Who:  ABACABB

What:  Debut (and only) full-length album of this deathcore band from the Virginia side of the DC area.

When:  January 2009

Where:  Sterling, VA

Why:   Because history is forgetting about one of the few quality releases by Sumerian Records.

Back When:  I previously wrote about Survivalist back in March 2009 when the album was a new release. Click here to read the original review.

[The Radness Average (or star rating) is derived from assigning each song a number of stars based on a 1-5 scale, then adding the total number of stars, and then dividing that number of total stars by the number of songs on the record. A Radness Average of 4.0 or higher indicates a good or great record. A Radness Average of 2.0 or less indicates pure crap. Everything else is in the middle somewhere.]

ABACABB - Survivalist - Sumerian Records

1.  Introduction -- ****
2.  Infection -- *****
3.  Addiction -- *****
4.  Regression -- *****
5.  Survivalist -- *****
6.  Destruction - *****
7.  Articulation -- ****
8.  Devastation -- ****
9.  Rejection -- *****
10.  Isolation -- *****


Radness Average:  4.700


ABACABB - Survivalist
ABACABB - Survivalist (ZS)

Verdict:  It may not be the most technical or original record ever made but Survivalist is aging well and doesn't sound miserably dated.

For fans of:  The Acacia Strain, Emmure, Upon A Burning Body, Deadwater Drowning




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