- Apr 5, 2003
- 2,668
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The Killer - Better Judged By 12 Than Carried By 6
Organized Crime Records - OCR008 - 2006
By Brandon Strader
Yet another group from the Chicago hardcore scene... Although finally we hear something a small bit different with The Killer. Instead of a group that repeats the same weak points of hardcore over and over in their music, we now have a Mastodon copycat gang. Like the world needed another Mastodon... oh man... grab your crucifix and bar the doors..
Unlike the usual hardcore you may be familiar with, The Killer is a bit slower paced and somewhat unexciting. The vocalist's performance is very similar, almost a carbon copy, of the vocalist for Mastodon - same can be said about the guitar work, almost. The rhythms consist largely of powerchords, whether they be held out or switching between a few different powerchords, it's pretty boring and standard stuff. The Killer have also forsaken solos and general creativeness for Better Judged By 12 Than Carried By 6 which actually makes Mastodon look better compared to these guys, which is a pretty sad sight indeed.
Let's give these guys points for effort, though, and after all they do have a pretty large fanbase for what they are, which doesn't necessarily mean they're good but there must be something here that people see in The Killer that draws them to the group. The production value is decent, and the record does sound pretty hard and a bit brutal... Perhaps the fans are drawn to the youth of the group, or perhaps the lyrics... Who knows. All we can be certain of, however, is that mediocre groups get more fans than they deserve.
The included DVD features a full-length "live" show with surprisingly good sound and performances... surprisingly good in a "too good to be true" kind of way. In other words, it sounds like a recording played over this live footage. The camerawork is fairly good, however, and the show feels real and puts you right in the action. Recommended for fans of Mastodon and deaf people everywhere!
5/10
UM’s Review Rating Scale
Official The Killer Website
Official Organized Crime Records Website
Organized Crime Records - OCR008 - 2006
By Brandon Strader
Yet another group from the Chicago hardcore scene... Although finally we hear something a small bit different with The Killer. Instead of a group that repeats the same weak points of hardcore over and over in their music, we now have a Mastodon copycat gang. Like the world needed another Mastodon... oh man... grab your crucifix and bar the doors..
Unlike the usual hardcore you may be familiar with, The Killer is a bit slower paced and somewhat unexciting. The vocalist's performance is very similar, almost a carbon copy, of the vocalist for Mastodon - same can be said about the guitar work, almost. The rhythms consist largely of powerchords, whether they be held out or switching between a few different powerchords, it's pretty boring and standard stuff. The Killer have also forsaken solos and general creativeness for Better Judged By 12 Than Carried By 6 which actually makes Mastodon look better compared to these guys, which is a pretty sad sight indeed.
Let's give these guys points for effort, though, and after all they do have a pretty large fanbase for what they are, which doesn't necessarily mean they're good but there must be something here that people see in The Killer that draws them to the group. The production value is decent, and the record does sound pretty hard and a bit brutal... Perhaps the fans are drawn to the youth of the group, or perhaps the lyrics... Who knows. All we can be certain of, however, is that mediocre groups get more fans than they deserve.
The included DVD features a full-length "live" show with surprisingly good sound and performances... surprisingly good in a "too good to be true" kind of way. In other words, it sounds like a recording played over this live footage. The camerawork is fairly good, however, and the show feels real and puts you right in the action. Recommended for fans of Mastodon and deaf people everywhere!
5/10
UM’s Review Rating Scale
Official The Killer Website
Official Organized Crime Records Website
