PULLING PUNCHES - The Old Colors Are Dead
April 12, 2016, 8 years ago
(Creep)
Cool one-sided 12” EP here from Pulling Punches, a Philadelphia-based band who do melodic hardcore right: it's not wimpy by any means, but it can pull off terrific melodies when appropriate. By “when appropriate” I mean not every single song, as the band plow through the first two ragers here with a heavy, Shai Hulud-meets-Deadguy approach, although the latter more in spirit and vibe than sound. But third tune “With Stolen Words” incorporates tons of melodies and unique guitar work, never in a here-comes-the-clean-chorus way, more of an interesting '90s hardcore approach: something tells me there are a few records stamped with the Ebullition Records logo in the record collections of these dudes, which is badass because there are in mine, too.
And closer “On Architects And Archetypes” kills it with a frantic, angular hardcore sound, like 90 percent of the releases on Dischord Records if 90 percent of the releases on Dischord Records weren't actually totally, frustratingly, unlistenable. Great stuff all around, killer spirit and energy, and tapping in to some sounds that I wish more bands would tap in to. Love the cover art too, but watch out: the tones and themes are way more metal than the tunes inside.
