Casting Curses – Cold All Over Again EP
Record Label: Panic Records
Release Date: November 2010
Who?
Being upstate New York natives who are ex-Outbreak and Attitude, Casting Curses are more than familiar with stirring up creative concoctions that tip the scales of fast-driven hardcore punk. And with a pretty awesome band name, too, which lends credence to the late rock outfit Fairweather. As of 2007, they have managed to pull off two EPs, titled Get Center and Heartificial.
How is it?
Hell-driven. Reintroducing themselves through four explosive tracks of temperamental outbursts and 108-esque riffs that predominate each one, Casting Curses present us with their most ambitious EP yet, Cold All Over Again.
The first track, fittingly titled "Reintroducing", takes on a heavy hardcore spirit as if the band is communicating, "we’re back, but hitting harder and heavier than ever." Even so, it ends abruptly with a flat and monotone breakdown whose presence adds little to no value to the song.
In "American Ignorance", the vocals maintain steady syncopated rhythm over hauntingly dark guitar chords that have the marring effect of a swinging axe pendulum. It then segues into an infectiously catchy two-step rhythm, paying homage to those lovable tropes valued in hardcore. As the song closes, the more than determined vocalist Brian Kraus steadfastly charges, "you can touch the flame, but you can't feel the fire," with empowering bravado. It is followed by "When Everybody Loves You," a track that fills itself out nicely by dabbing into a style which, at times, bears similarity to fellow NY hardcore natives Another Victim.
The only "needles in the haystack" are figuring out the unified compositional theme in the album, as each track possesses a very enigmatic style. The other being the final track "Cold All Over Again". It is an anti-climatic effort of uninspiring filler, save for its ending.
Nevertheless, this band's talent has definitely proved itself beyond fizzling out candles and dried up incantations that scream redundancy. Casting Curses have internalized enough battering ram energy and raw appeal to keep us under their spell in anticipation for their full-length debut.
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