Sometimes I just have fun with these CD reviews...

What if Paramore’s Hayley Williams screamed and had less cute hair? Well, she could probably try out for Eyes Set to Kill, the Tempe, AZ five-piece whose debut full-length Reach is out now on Break Silence Records.



Now if you'll please excuse my while I sip a little Hater-ade...

Of the bubbling pool of female-fronted rock bands (In This Moment, Kenotia, Patience, etc.), Eyes Set to Kill is certainly one of the better ones. But looking at this band it’s hard not to think they were created via some nefarious conspiracy involving Hot Topic, Fuse, and their label Koch Records (parent company to Break Silence). Led by sisters Alexia and Anissa Rodriguez, Eyes Set to Kill play a watered-down version of the metalcore / screamo those myspace kids get so moist over – I’m thinking The Devil Wears Prada, Memphis May Fire, and the like. From the perfectly placed facial piercings to the combed over hair, pouty lips, and token metal dude with full sleeves and huge plugs, Eyes Set to Kill look more like a marketing department’s master creation than a legitimate band worthy of respect, praise, and a recording contract. Maybe the record industry is folding because they keep signing bands not worth the price of admission.

Maybe?

Man this Hater-ade is tasty.



Alexia and keyboardist Brandon Anderson trade vocals in a boring call-and-response format. It seems like the two sat down with Alexia’s lyric book and decided, “OK, you sing that line, I’ll scream this line, then you sing that line, then I’ll scream this line, then I’ll sing that line…” I think you get it. Drummer Caleb Clifton would do well to lay off his double bass pedal. The kid plays like a chef who only keeps salt and pepper on his spice rack – about as flavorful as tapioca pudding. And as for the guitars, they’re typical Killswitch Engage style metalcore, nothing interesting in the slightest.

“Reach” is a predictable title track, with empowering lyrics and a doodling guitar melody you can’t get out of your head, “Violent Kiss” is at the tempo and shuffle that those two-step kids love to get down to, and “Give You my All” is your token acoustic track. Overall there is little variation in this twelve song album, little to get excited about – little substance at all.

It’s a shame, really, that "female-fronted" is getting to the point where it sounds like such a gimmick when used as a qualifier. It’s like that band Loom – am I supposed to ignore the fact that their post-ATDI indiecore is rather generic simply because they incorporate a violin in their music? Likewise, am I to ignore the fact that Eyes Set to Kill is rather generic screamo simply because they feature two rather attractive females?

But then again you know me – steady sippin' on some Hater-ade. Take it as you will.

Deathkiller CD Review

With four hi-hat whacks, Deathkiller screams “we are here motherfucker, so listen up.” Sporting a chipped-shoulder aggression and a short fuse burning on both ends, “Take Me to Your Bleeder” opens the debut full-length New England is Sinking with full force. Over the course of 13 songs, the trio of Matt McIntosh, Anthony Realbuto and Christina Chiaramonte, lash out at the system and the status quo, recalling a time when hardcore bands stood for something, or at least stood for more than image and idolatry.

The Connecticut outfit boasts plenty of pedigree – McIntosh lists ‘ex-Hatebreed’ on his resume while drummer Realbuto once banged rhythms with Most Precious Blood. But Deathkiller doesn’t rely on the brutal breakdowns of cliché-ridden metalcore or necessarily resemble either of the aforementioned bands in particular. Instead, New England is Sinking takes the fast cars and tight jeans of classic rock ‘n’ roll and drives full force into the raging pit of American hardcore to produce an unadulterated and uncontainable sound that takes no prisoners. No pretenses, no bad dye-jobs, no ever-increasing friend count, no fashion statements of any sort, Deathkiller are raw and intense – classic hardcore I suppose, in the truest sense imaginable. The only statements this band makes are the subtle suggestions to tear down all you see around you that is phony and full of shit.

“Idle Worship” recalls the best of Rise Against; “Carlos D is in My Top 8” a post-Myspace Black Flag. The title track is the most melodic cut of the bunch – and any song which features the line “if you can’t beat ‘em then destroy them” is a winner in my book. “Man Alone” suggests we take our disillusionment and do something with it while “Dead Art” begs us to lash out in a fury of unbridled emotion – take the pit to the pulpit and turn this mother out.

“Let the Good Times Fold” is quintessential early-90s post-hardcore (think Handsome over Quicksand), which unfortunately a decade later sounds dated. Not to mention that the angsty refrain of “C’mon baby, let the good times fold” is, well, just plain silly. Chiaramonte’s fuzz-happy bass tone grows tiresome around the twenty-minute mark, but maybe that’s more of a musicians personal preference on this end rather than a true criticism of what is all in all a solid record.

On “Untitled” McIntosh begs you to answer has he screams “What do you mean, ‘It’s victory?’” New England is Sinking is victorious: a solid debut that takes a tried and true sound and sticks to it. Nothing is new, so let’s go back to the basics, McIntosh and co. contest – but lets to it harder, faster and truer. With this m.o., Deathkiller makes a statement and makes it loud.