Album Reviews :: Galactic Cannibal, Walk The Plank, Supreme Commander, Last Hour Battle, and Suff
Written by: Andrea Janov, CC2K Music Editor
Galactic Cannibal :: Demo Tape EP
Don’t let their name fool you, Galactic Cannibal is not a hardcore metal band. They are a straightforward kick ass old school punk band. (What else can we expect from Nick Woods?) There are gnarly chords and vocals and a beat that will get every pit thrashing uncontrollably. There is no doubt that you will eventually find yourself singing along because the melodies that are buried underneath will sink into your subconscious.
The first track, Hate Everything, has a great breakdown section is pretty hooky and We’re Fucked can easily become an anthem to those of us who are clawing through a mundane daily routine. The vocals in Air Runs Dry have great moments of throaty screamo moments and Up Against the Wall is the track that will get stuck in your head, don’t fret though, it is by no means poppy.
The Demo Tape EP clocks in under ten minutes, but don’t worry, you will be pushing repeat anyway. And get more into it each time.
Walk The Plank / Supreme Commander :: Split EP is out now on Say10records
The Walk The Plank / Supreme Commander split is a must have for classic hardcore punk rock fans. The split kicks off with Walk The Plank. Settling is slow and measured with a great hardcore voice and melodic backing vocals and Oxana is straightforward hardcore, which deep vocals and menacing music.
Supreme Commander section is comprised of Petty Problems, Your Best Days, and a cover of We Got The Beat. Petty Problems and Your Best Days remind me of the hardcore I grew up on, the music than you can feel deep in your bone and moved you whether you thought you want to or not. You Got The Beat totally takes on a new life as a punk song. With thrashy guitars and screaming vocals only hinting at the melody it turns into a punk song that could stir any pit into a frenzy.
Okay, so this review is a bit different. Last Hour Battle is a band from Philly who got in touch with me and sent me a collection of their songs. These tracks are not collected on an EP or demo, but they are available for download on their Facebook and Soundcloud. I love music and I love to help bands that are trying to make it.
They coin themselves as math pop, a term that I must admit that I never quite understood, maybe I don’t know enough about the intricacies of a guitar. Anyway, I would call these guys and alternative rock band who have begun to experiment with different elements. These four songs span at least a year, with The Escapist being the most recent and the best. The vocals are more polished, the melody is smoother, and they play around with some different elements. I am psyched on the small echo section, near the end of the track, that adds a great layer to the track. I bet these guys are fun to see live and after listening to the progression over the course of these three tracks, I think that they are headed in a strong direction.
Snuff :: 5-4-3-2-1 Perhaps? is out now on Fat Wreck Chords
So Snuff has been around for a while now (they have been a band almost as long as I have been alive) so there isn’t much that I can to say in terms of background that you can’t find somewhere else on the internet.
Over the years there have been a few lineup changes yet their sound has stayed fairly consistent. Their newest album, 5-4-3-2-1 Perhaps? is a high energy collection of punk rock tracks with cockney accent and dashes of hardcore, ska, and even metal. With each track having its own unique ability to get you on your feet and get you moving.
Mumbo Jumbo took me by surprise, each of the tracks leading up to this were pop punk with a cockney tone, then this high energy old school hardcore punk track kicks in and takes you by storm. The guitars in Bones for Company are downright metal and the acoustic version of In The Stocks fantastic. All and all a fun album, and if you check this out and enjoy it, be sure to pick up any (or all) album(s) in their back catalogue. You will fall head over heels.