I didn't know it until I threw the disc in, but 99% of these songs are covers, which is pretty damn cool. Sadly I think most (if not all) of the Stampin' Ground tracks are previously released, but it's nice to have them all collected in one place. They open with a super brutal and barely recognizable take on the Judge classic "Bringin' it Down", and then run through Vio-lence's "Calling in the Coroner", "Malfunction" by the Cro-Mags, "As One" by Knuckledust (from an old split CD where each band covered the other), "United Blood" by Agnostic Front, and Inside Out's "By a Thread". All of the songs are killer, too. I'm psyched to hear them cover "By a Thread" (my favorite track from the Inside Out EP), granted I'm not a fan of the way they slightly changed the vocal arrangements of the opening verse part, but whatever... Since the songs come from different sessions there are some inconsistencies with the recordings, but they sound good for the most part. They always nail a fucking stellar guitar tone, but the drums can be very flimsy and rigid (especially during "Bringin' it Down"), and the bass isn't always that prominent. There's also a minor problem with uneven mastering as some songs are louder and clearer than others, and a few moments peak out to light distortion. I've never been a big fan of the North Side Kings, and sadly nothing about their half of this split changes my mind. Their choices of covers are alright, and their original track is actually pretty good, but the recording is total crap. The vocals are mixed way too loud, the sound is muddy and lacks clarity, the drums sound a little flat... I don't know... it's just unbalanced and makes for an annoying listen. "Fuck the Middle East" is far from the best S.O.D. song, and I'd rather have heard one of the bands do a different Cro-Mags song rather than having both of them do "Malfunction", but the North Side Kings have some winners with Suicidal Tendencies' "I Want More" and D.R.I.'s "I'd Rather Be Sleeping"... plus they even cover "The A-Team" theme song, which is pretty hilarious. The layout looks fine, splitting things up between the two bands with some photos and brief liner notes about the chosen cover songs, etc. It's pretty straightforward. The tracklist on the back cover has a couple of the songs out of order, but that's life. This is a good split, but Stampin' Ground totally takes it. I don't know... North Side Kings' D.R.I. cover kicks ass, but I would've rather heard a couple of new studio tracks from Stampin' Ground and had it be a solo EP from them instead. Sorry.
[Thorp]
Running time - 30:35, Tracks: 13
[Notable tracks: Calling in the Coroner, As One, I Want More, I'd Rather Be Sleeping]
Thorp Records - http://www.thorprecords.com
