I've wanted to hear this band for a long time but I never felt like picking up one of their EP's, so I just said, "Fuck it, I'll wait until the full-length comes out." So, I picked this up the day after it hit the streets, and god damn, this is good stuff! Heavy as hell metalcore in the truest sense, mixing obvious hardcore influences with tasteful elements of metal, vicious vocals that are right on the line between shouting and screaming, etc. This is tough as nails material, chock full of burly mosh breaks, excellent midpaced rhythms, a pissed off attitude, etc. There's not a great deal of variety, but there's enough to keep things moving for the half-hour that the disc runs, and I'm into it. I'm a total sucker for this stuff. I guess it might get tagged as "toughguy" hardcore, which is true in some respects, but musically it's basically heavy NYHC with a little bit more metal than is often the case, but they don't head too far into metal territory at all. The production is pretty fucking good, though I must say that I was hoping for better coming from a major label effort. My only minor complaints are that the drums are way too rigid and lack natural warmth, and the vocals are a bit out front. If the vocals dropped back just a tad, the bass was louder and more discernible, and the drums a bit thicker, this thing would sound like a million bucks. But the guitar tone is great, and the bass does hold down the low-end, so it sounds really good. No doubt. There's also a ton of CD-Rom footage, and it's actually lengthy and pretty entertaining, not to mention well handled. There are some live tracks, some interview footage, a video for the song "Sworn Enemy", etc. But everything is edited together really well, and the CD-Rom is set up with a chapter selection menu sort of like a DVD, which is actually fucking awesome. I like the layout, the front cover is stark and simple, everything is in black and white with band photos, cool textures, handwritten lyrics, enormous thanks lists, etc. Fairly straightforward, but very effective. Lyrically this stuff pulls no punches and you get what you expect, but I like it that way: "You lived your life as a fake and I'm as real as can be, I lived my life and faced my own realities, You lived your life of pure fantasy, Once was a time I thought that you were my friend, Live your life like a bitch, you'll be alone 'til the end, This shit is over, done, your future won't change, But I'll be happy when I piss on your grave..." Yeah, baby. If they nail a slightly better recording on the next record they'll knock you straight on your ass. Good stuff. If you're into the whole NYHC thing I would definitely recommend this.
[Elektra]
Running time - 29:01, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Sworn Enemy, As Real as it Gets, Days Past, These Tears]
Sworn Enemy - http://www.swornenemynyc.com
