7-10 Split

Item: Trial by Stone
Author: Josh Spencer

Trial by Stone

(1999)

Reviewed by Josh Spencer

Discogs Bandcamp

Label Screaming Giant RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth2000

hardcore pop punk

This is advertised as a punk and metal mix, but there's no actual mixing. It's mostly lean but muscular speedy punk that changes into hardcore with death vocals on two or three songs and speed metal with death vocals on one song. The guys are tight and technical, with solid rat-a-tat drumming, lightning rhythms, quick change-ups, and occasional harmonies. They've got the Fat Wreck Chord/Epitaph punk formula down, with just a tad of indie amateurishness coming through in some of the songwriting. Unfortunately, a million other bands out there have prepared the same formula for our consumption, which makes 7-10 Split unnecessary. They try to justify their existence by adding the humorous hardcore and metal segments, but such breaks seem awkward--not really part of the 7-10 Split sound, but more a reminiscing of past days or a making fun of more aggressive music. Lyrics jump between the genres as well, covering relationships, simplistic politics, and the rapture. It's a good album for high school punks (why is this the case with every Christian punk album?), but otherwise the world can do without it.

3 tocks