To Kill Watching You Fall
Catalyst Records CR22 May 5th, 2005
By Jason Jordan
To kill or not to kill? That is the question. Sorry, I couldnt resist the urge to begin with that Shakespearian quote. Anyhow, what were mulling over in this case is To Kills first full-length, namely Watching You Fall. The latter is half an hour of unfiltered hardcore, and the members apparently endorse straightedge ideals to boot. Despite being capable of crafting decent songs, To Kill still have maturation to undergo.
Borrowing the kind of aggro, expletive-laden attitude that Blood for Blood employ, these Italians are most assuredly filled with rage. Unfortunately, all the hardcore clichés (or elements if were trying to be kinder) riddle Watching You Fall. Joshs vox are of the commonplace variety, which means theyre raspy and are on the brink of indistinguishable at times. But, strangely, the cusswords are enunciated more clearly than any other words. To get back on topic, the shouts-in-unison approach appears several times on this latest release from To Kill; the tempo retains its requisite speediness, and the production does well enough for this particular style. However, excluding the introduction known as 1001 Days, theres only eleven compositions on Watching You Fall: that makes for a damn short album.
Id say it was a wise decision for Indianas own Catalyst Records to acquire To Kill, because I foresee them doing well in the industry. This full-length isnt too special, or consequential for that matter, but I envision the quintet penning something much better in the future. The talent is there, the musical abilities are present, though the only thing really missing is a distinct identity. They need one that separates them from the rest of the hardcore pack. Im not going to berate the straightedge lifestyle here. No, not here.
[P.S. Being straightedge has to be boring.]
7/10
Official To Kill Website
Official Catalyst Records Website
Catalyst Records CR22 May 5th, 2005
By Jason Jordan
To kill or not to kill? That is the question. Sorry, I couldnt resist the urge to begin with that Shakespearian quote. Anyhow, what were mulling over in this case is To Kills first full-length, namely Watching You Fall. The latter is half an hour of unfiltered hardcore, and the members apparently endorse straightedge ideals to boot. Despite being capable of crafting decent songs, To Kill still have maturation to undergo.
Borrowing the kind of aggro, expletive-laden attitude that Blood for Blood employ, these Italians are most assuredly filled with rage. Unfortunately, all the hardcore clichés (or elements if were trying to be kinder) riddle Watching You Fall. Joshs vox are of the commonplace variety, which means theyre raspy and are on the brink of indistinguishable at times. But, strangely, the cusswords are enunciated more clearly than any other words. To get back on topic, the shouts-in-unison approach appears several times on this latest release from To Kill; the tempo retains its requisite speediness, and the production does well enough for this particular style. However, excluding the introduction known as 1001 Days, theres only eleven compositions on Watching You Fall: that makes for a damn short album.
Id say it was a wise decision for Indianas own Catalyst Records to acquire To Kill, because I foresee them doing well in the industry. This full-length isnt too special, or consequential for that matter, but I envision the quintet penning something much better in the future. The talent is there, the musical abilities are present, though the only thing really missing is a distinct identity. They need one that separates them from the rest of the hardcore pack. Im not going to berate the straightedge lifestyle here. No, not here.
[P.S. Being straightedge has to be boring.]
7/10
Official To Kill Website
Official Catalyst Records Website
