乐队列表 Hardcore Shipwreck AD Abyss

I rarely make blind purchases. My favorite album of all time is Mastodon's Leviathan. These are two seemingly unrelated sentences, but bear with me.

I was in my local Newbury Comics (a record store), just glancing around, really. I wasn't planning on buying anything. While browsing I noticed a copy of Abyss sitting on the shelf. I picked it up and looked at it. Now, with Leviathan being my all-time favorite album, I figured: "Sea-theme! Must sound just like Leviathan!" It didn't.

Now, aside from my own stupidity and assumption, this album isn't half-bad. It's pretty much straight hardcore, in the vein of Sick of It All's Death to Tyrants album, but there is evidence of nuance here and there, making it much stronger overall. The songs are short, but they are well written and never boring. Despite the similar sound to each song, they are all distinctive and never blend together.

"Squall", the opener, is probably the best cut on the album. It pretty much sums up the rest of the album: A sub-three minute slice of brutality that changes tempo and mood occasionally and features a tight, basic performance.

I also appreciate how the band tries to keep things fresh as evidenced in the acoustic intro of "Samur" and the southern-style riffing of "Miasma". The band isn't afraid of outside influence, either. While Shipwreck A.D. are firmly rooted in hardcore, traces of doom and sludge are evident.

So, if you don't mind hardcore, and/or are looking for a hardcore album that isn't afraid to branch out, I would highly recommend Shipwreck A.D.