Rapid Reviews: Lorna Shore, Dealer, Great American Ghost, Raised Fist
Great American Ghost - Power Through Terror - While not receiving as much hype as many of their peers in the newly rejuvenated metallic hardcore scene, Great American Ghost have put out a very solid record under the radar. Produced by one of metals hottest producers at the moment, Will Putney there's plenty of the hard-hitting dissonance typically found in this style of music but also some surprisingly nice melodic screaming/singing that adds a nice extra touch to several tracks. Often times this record sounds like a mixture of Gojira and Suicide Silence. This album is definitely worthy of a listen. Grade: 3.5/5
Dealer - Saint - After their much buzzed about debut EP Soulburn, expectations were set very high for Dealer's sophomore EP. While there is nothing wrong with this release, it feels very much like the last EP. This style of beatdown self-loathing hardcore can get tiring very fast and I feel Dealer has now hit that point. These tracks might be better to listen to as individual songs than all at once. Grade: 2.5/5
Lorna Shore - Immortal - This record has quite astonishingly received widespread acclaim from many music media outlets and fans alike, which is not often seen in the deathcore genre. With the expectations set high I listened to this album with high hopes and left feeling disappointing. I'll admit the first time or two the brutal breakdowns with extreme gargled vocals are fairly impressive but after being beaten over the head with it on each track it quickly becomes overdone. If you find slam to be creatively fulfilling for more than a few tracks and solely only crave brutal music, then this might indeed be a great record for you, for us however this style feels very overdone. Grade: 2/5
Raised Fist - Anthem - While very popular in their home country of Sweden, Raised Fist is relatively unknown in the United States, which is unfortunate because they offer a highly energetic, original, and fun take on a mixture of rock'n'roll and hardcore. This album is named Anthem for good reason as each and every song sounds like an anthem crafted especially for their fans. This is the type of record that'll raise your mood and leave you feeling satisfied afterwards. Raised Fist is worthy of much more hype than they've received in North America throughout their careers and we strongly recommend this album.Grade: 4/5
