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Various

This is Solid State Volume 4 (2003)
Solid State Records

Reviewer Rating:

Contributed by: Brian
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on January 27th 2004

The fourth installment of Solid State's compilation series offers up an eleven-track sampler of choice cuts from releases within the last year and a half. The series was never big on unreleased songs, and it continues here, but this time around includes a DVD with over a dozen music videos and some live footage from Furnace Fest 2002.

The collection of songs on the sampler itself offer a solid (no pun intended) mix from the label's roster, punk / metal / hardcore hybrids abound, but each leaning heavily on one element or the other. Beloved puts forth one of the highlights, "Only Our Faces Hide," from their last release, Failure: On, and so does Norma Jean with "Face:Face," the notorious opening track from Bless the Martyr, Kiss the Child, with its repeatedly screamed bridge line of "she simply will not die!" "The Changing of Times," the title track from Underoath's album, has some swiftly-changing dynamics.

A couple videos from the DVD really stand out. Underoath's decently produced outlay contains an underlying concept that has the band playing on farmland during the day to represent the life of the video's protagonist, and like many of the bands, play in a warehouse at one point, but in this case to represent the character's delusion of death. Crisply shot in a laundromat, Beloved plays to a few oblivious customers in the best video, "Aimless Endeavor," while Mewithoutyou's groovy tune "Bullet to Binary" has them rolling around in a grassy field. The only strong point of the second half is Stretch Arm Strong's "For the Record," appropriately shot before a tight, unified home crowd in South Carolina, although the "gang-vocal" bridge sounds empty only being sung from the studio by about five guys and then put to footage of them doing it before an entire audience. It is at least made up for later, when just the crowd provides the vocals for it in the Furnace Fest footage on the bonus section, which includes about two songs from six bands, including Zao, Stretch Arm Strong, and Living Sacrifice.

For people big on Solid State, this is a must. For the casual hardcore fan, it's worth it if you've got a few extra bucks.

MP3
The Agony Scene - "We Bury Our Dead at Dawn"

STREAM
Dead Poetic - "The Corporate Enthusiast"
Zao - "Resistance" (Real Audio)

VIDEO (QUICKTIME)
Demon Hunter - "Infected"
Stretch Arm Strong - "For the Record"
Stretch Arm Strong - "Second Chances"

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Romeo (January 28, 2004)

Wheres Superdude?

FortyMinutesWest (January 28, 2004)

Relapse has put out albums by:
Dillinger Escape Plan, Mastodon, Burnt by the Sun, Coalesce, The End, High On Fire, Neurosis, Today Is The Day, Breach, Pig Destroyer, etc.

8dollarclarinetsolo (January 28, 2004)

speaking of samplers, i think the 'floyd' series of samplers fat has going on are the way of the future.. who wants to spend 4 or 5 bucks on one of these things anymore, when they can be put out more often and much cheaper with the cardboard casings and variety of different songs throughout the year. out with the old

Anonymous (January 28, 2004)

Fuck Hopeless. They used to put together great samplers and didn't care if the bands were popular, they just wanted to spread good music. Now, every goddamn comp of their's does nothing but further promote Avenged Sevenfold or Thrice, for the simple reason of selling more samplers.

-sickboi

Anonymous (January 28, 2004)

Who's on Relapse and what makes them so good ? As for me, I'm all for the Fat samplers. I can't stand the Punk O Rama samplers anymore. Oh, and Hopeless has sort of a good hit or miss track record with samplers.

THAT GUY

Anonymous (January 28, 2004)

the mewitoutyou video is based off of shel silverstein's The Giving Tree

Conduit (January 28, 2004)

This score is for Relapse.

FortyMinutesWest (January 27, 2004)

You know what label puts out good samplers? Relapse.

inagreendase (January 27, 2004)

Nope, it's not. It's the second track. good call

punkcorekid (January 27, 2004)

"Face:Face" is not the the opening track for Bless the Martyer and Kiss The Child.

Anonymous (January 27, 2004)

Gotta love the jesus-core. I think these bands would be better off as Satanist's with the way they worship themselves (insert norma jean picture).

ThatotherGuy (January 27, 2004)

I was thinking maybe this was a Forty review.... As for Solid State, I have the first 2 in the series, and am still disappointed. Eh, I got em for a buck a peice at pawn shop. You get what you pay for.

THAT GUY