Mourning Maxwell
Mourning Maxwell
(Self-released)
3 out of 5 stars
The pop-punk of Mourning Maxwell won't really blow anyone's mind, but for fans of the genre, this is a lot better than what they play on the radio. The production by Bob Hoag is incredibly slick for a truly independent release. The songs run together by the end of the record, but the middle track, "Prime Investment," showcases the band's ability to switch modes and ends with a chant of "the kids had it all figured out/right from the start," and some interesting guitar work before "A Poet on Payday" reintroduces the listener to straight-ahead pop-punk riffing. If you like your pop-punk heavier like the RX Bandits and lighter like Something Corporate, give Mourning Maxwell a listen.
-- by benjamin.horowitz@asu.edu.
Mourning Maxwell CD Release/Halloween parties are scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 27, and Friday, Oct. 28, at the Real Bar. Prizes for best costume.
Scars of Tomorrow
The Horror of Realization
(Victory Records)
2 out of 5 stars
Scars of Tomorrow is another terrible Southern California metalcore band. The Horror of Realization is these guys' FOURTH full-length album and a definite step backwards from their Victory Records premier Rope Tied to the Trigger. The interplay of melody is overdone and cliche, the vocals sound more forced than ever and the drumming is even less metallic. Where's the edge to the music? Where's the intensity? Usually this far into its career a band begins to set itself further apart from every cookie-cutter band "in the scene." Scars of Tomorrow resists the temptation and rehashes more of the same. If you're interested in something infinitely better in the same vein, check out Adamantium's When It Rains, It Pours.
-- by sean.loiselle@asu.edu.
Scars of Tomorrow with Bury Your Dead is scheduled to perform Tuesday, Nov. 2, at Neckbeard's Soda Bar.
