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XBishopX and Scarlet…

XBishopX - Suicide PartyWhile they apparently used to work under the even more horrendous name of XDiary of a CorpseX, Florida's own XBishopX boasts not only one of the worst band names I've come across in awhile (Even in the 90's I couldn't really hang with the whole "XPlace Nand Name HereX" thing, what can I say?), but quite possibly the stupidest looking album art of any hardcore record thus far in the new millennium. I'm sure they were just going for something atypical and humorous, but god damn, if I ran a label and a band handed in something that looked like this I'd have a fuckin' heart attack. I guess that's a testament to Ferret Music's dedication to providing artistic control to their bands, but... whew, sometimes you need to bring the hammer down, man!

Thankfully, "Suicide Party" is actually a pretty good record. Aside from the fact that the recording feels a little suppressed to me, this one's generally chock full of short and pissed metallic hardcore tracks with a balance of 90's chug and traditional chord progressions without sounding like a throwback. And hey, with a back to back attack of songs titled "Go Fuck Yourself" and "Eat Shit", I have to give 'em credit where due for that one. But there's really nothing fancy or out of the ordinary going on. It's not totally one-sided since they do toss in some unexpected twists here and there, but the gruff vocals and burly riffs aren't going to challenge the boundaries of the genre by any means... and I'm sure that's exactly how they want it, too.

XBishopX "Hookers & Blow"
XBishopX "Eat Shit"

Like it? Buy it:

Ferret Music
Very Distribution

Scarlet - This Was Always Meant to Fall ApartAlso recently released by Ferret Music is the latest from Scarlet, "This Was Always Meant to Fall Apart". I've never been a big Scarlet fan, but I've never really disliked them either (well, not since their earliest work, that is). I slept on their last full-length for a long time before finally picking it up thanks to one amazing song, but nothing else on the record could match that tune for me, so I'm still somewhat undecided there. This new effort sees the band more closely joining the ranks of caustic metalcore acts that blend ultra harsh screaming with fluid singing—which is of course nothing new—but as has been the case with Scarlet's progression in the past, this is another tighter and more focused effort.

Aside from the occasionally fucked up time signature or unexpectedly weird smattering of electronic programming, there's not much I'd cite as original in terms of the chugging picking patterns and staggered staccato riffs, nor the plethora of wild pull-off runs that are rampant throughout. But the songwriting isn't nearly as borderline obnoxiously acerbic as their last outing, so things are easier to grasp without lacking an edge. And I have to say that the loose melodic swells and tactfully employed (i.e. not overused) bouts of singing really help add some dimension to the listen—notably in the awesome "The Separation Of", which is one of the band's finest tracks to date. I believe they have a new vocalist on this one, which definitely provides for a noticeable shift. I'm into the slick ass layout as well, where the booklet's outermost cover is printed vellum and all that jazz. I'm still not floored or anything as a whole, but this is a solid offering that sees the band yet again moving forward after another lengthy delay between releases.

Scarlet "The Separation Of"
Scarlet "Swarm Manifesto"

You know mp3's are weak, so buy it if you dig it:

Ferret Music
Very Distribution

Comments

  1. Yoooooo dude!! xBishopx killlls, I’m not sure about the Scarlet though, I liked their last album but I heard this one was pretty poor….I like the second MP3 though…might have to get it!!!

    BTW - with the Fury of V, there will be 12 tracks in total, 2 of which have never been released and 2 live tunes, one of which will be an SOD cover, so let’s hope it won’t be the 4 tunes from the telling it like it is EP….but it probably will be innit??

    Also, there will be a DVD and a thick 16 page booklet, damn cool if you ask me!

    2.21.2006 | By xbenx

  2. For some reason I have this horrible aversion (no pun intended) to bands that over due the swearing in their lyrics, it’s not that I hate bands that swear, it’s that I hate bands that swear every other word, it just makes you look kinda dopey in my opinion. That said, xBISHOPx could be decent if they didn’t pepper their already sophmoric lyrics with an endless string of profanity.

    I dug the Scarlet tracks way more. Good stuff.

    2.21.2006 | By Carlzilla

  3. Speaking of xBishopx (who feature Mean Pete Kowalski from Remembering Never on vocals), the new Remembering Never album, ‘God Save Us’ should be out today. It would seem they listened to your criticisms too, as it’s a fast record devoid of the endless chugga breaks that ‘Women and Children Die First’ was peppered with. Now if only the cover art was even half as good…

    2.21.2006 | By Gabriel

  4. I have put off listening to Scarlet until now, because i figured they were pretty much the same as everyone else, but they’re alright…
    Nothing I could write would do xBishopx justice…

    2.22.2006 | By Samir

  5. i thought xbishopx’s album was hilarious…sure they swear alot but who cares? the album is funny to me and it actually sounds good even if most of the songs are under 3 minutes…

    2.25.2006 | By xclaimer22

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