Russ Hockenbury
09/28/06, 08:29 PM
Dead Hearts – Bitter Verses
Label: Ferret Music
Release Date: September 5, 2006
The newest addition to the Ferret roster, Dead Hearts doesn’t reinvent the punk/hardcore wheel with their debut full length, Bitter Verses. Instead, they prefer to look at the history of that wheel and tweak it to fit their own liking. Taking cues from early discordant hardcore pioneers, the plodding nastiness of Bitter Verses combined with the easy to decipher (if not mimic) lyrics of most tracks makes the album one of the more accessible to come out of the New York scene this year.
Though vocalist Derek Dole is the hired gun for guitarist Jeremy Smith’s lyrical pen, each works off the other’s strength and Dole shouts the words as if Smith’s wrongs were his own. At times on Bitter Verses, it’d be easy to compare the work of Dole and crew to fellow Empire State mashers, This Is Hell. Both buy into the Strong Island, East Coast hardcore mentality. Where they differ is that Dead Hearts implements a soft experimental touch to their music, while This Is Hell is more or less a straightforward New York hardcore band. Guitars shift and bend to create moments of memorable musical restraint. Proving there’s something to the old adage, the storm that relents is often the most dangerous.
Hymns for insomnia: “Hollow”, “Fall”, “Dusk”
Skinny folks with too much ink: Modern Life Is War, This Is Hell, Comeback Kid
Label: Ferret Music
Release Date: September 5, 2006
The newest addition to the Ferret roster, Dead Hearts doesn’t reinvent the punk/hardcore wheel with their debut full length, Bitter Verses. Instead, they prefer to look at the history of that wheel and tweak it to fit their own liking. Taking cues from early discordant hardcore pioneers, the plodding nastiness of Bitter Verses combined with the easy to decipher (if not mimic) lyrics of most tracks makes the album one of the more accessible to come out of the New York scene this year.
Though vocalist Derek Dole is the hired gun for guitarist Jeremy Smith’s lyrical pen, each works off the other’s strength and Dole shouts the words as if Smith’s wrongs were his own. At times on Bitter Verses, it’d be easy to compare the work of Dole and crew to fellow Empire State mashers, This Is Hell. Both buy into the Strong Island, East Coast hardcore mentality. Where they differ is that Dead Hearts implements a soft experimental touch to their music, while This Is Hell is more or less a straightforward New York hardcore band. Guitars shift and bend to create moments of memorable musical restraint. Proving there’s something to the old adage, the storm that relents is often the most dangerous.
Hymns for insomnia: “Hollow”, “Fall”, “Dusk”
Skinny folks with too much ink: Modern Life Is War, This Is Hell, Comeback Kid