The
Lords of Lightspeed
Self-Titled 7"
Self-Released
Genres: hardcore, metal
Jan 20 - 26 2003 |
Firstly,
I'd just like to say that this is a beautiful seven-inch record - it's
on beautiful clear vinyl with an excellent DIY sleeve design. Plus, it
was limited to a mere 500 copies. We totally dig stuff like this
(--hint hint nudge nudge, bands and labels--). But on to the review.
I was surprised upon first listen of this record to discover that
the band actually plays really intense hardcore. It's not exactly what
I expected from a record with a little teddy bear sticker on it. But
that's alright. The record collects four quick songs; each one is a
short gust of violent guitars, speedy bass, psycho drumming, scratchy
hardcore vocals, and even some keyboard. Be warned that there are some
very DIY production values in terms of the songs' recording quality.
Side one houses two tracks, "Murderous" and
"Transmission." The first is a destructive scorcher with
tons of feedback and tape hiss, as well as those ultra-scratchy,
tortured vocals that are characteristic of the genre. The riffs have
something of a metal influence to them that can easily be picked up
on. "Transmission" also has some metal aspects to it,
especially on the small little bits where the guitar goes into
"solo" mode. It's quite melodic, as far as hardcore goes.
Side two features "White Chocolate & Brimstone" and
"Dance With Me." The first song is an abrasive, powerful
blast of guitars and torn-apart vocals. "Dance With Me" is
similarly explosive, boasting some fantastically tuneful guitar parts
that stay away from becoming too feedback-y.
If you're up for some hardcore stuff with a strong DIY ethic and a
bit of a metal influence, then you'll love this record. Go and track
it down.
80%
Fun fact: Apparently, The Lords of Lightspeed only existed
from 2000 to 2001, and this 500-copy 7" is the only recorded
artifact of their existence!
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
4 songs, distributed by the
label, released 2002] |