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Reviewer Rating: 2.5

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Contributed by: fatbrendanfatbrendan
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Published on April 6th 2004Never Say Die comes cutting with shear intensity and power, in that power pop kind of way. The vocalist has a lower voice than most of the up and coming bands out there right now and the fact that he doesn't hit all the notes he's aiming for gives it a raw edge. Heartless Hero has the semi-hardcore .

Never Say Die comes cutting with shear intensity and power, in that power pop kind of way. The vocalist has a lower voice than most of the up and coming bands out there right now and the fact that he doesn't hit all the notes he's aiming for gives it a raw edge. Heartless Hero has the semi-hardcore breakdowns you've come to expect from a band in this genre. They have the grooves that get you moving in that familiar way. They have the screams that come cutting in when you think you're not expecting it but really are. The guitars do some dueling, and have some great harmonies. They switch up tempos every now and then, and by the time Home Away From Here begins you're feeling you've got this band pretty well figured out.

Their sound isn't anything new, and doesn't break any new ground, but they're polished and tight. The fading effects on Home Away From Here will please your ears with or without headphones. Every so often they might throw you something you don't expect, but all in all, they fall into the category that bands like Saosin, From First To Last, Story of the Year and Matchbook Romance have been using to make their claims to fame.

Despite the fact that I'm seemingly downplaying the sound and style these boys are throwing down, I am really enjoying this EP. With breakdowns and bridges that may not become instantly memorable, these boys play a good brand of music. There is no denying that the songs on this album are all well crafted and will feed your hunger for more of what is up and coming from this genre. When Fun Days rolls around you can sense the poppy side of the band in full force. This is undoubtedly the poppiest song on the 5 song ep, and is a change of pace. It's not the best song on the album, and is a far cry from being a great song. It's just another run of the mill pop punk song.

This EP isn't going to take your breath away and is far from earth shattering or innovative, but it will satisfy your tastebuds for this genre. However it does have that overplayed monotonous capability.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Anonymous (June 4, 2004)

Good songs, just sounds like everything else out there.

Anonymous (April 12, 2004)

i might check em out live, but im not gonna waste money on something this unoriginal

GreenVandal (April 11, 2004)

the cover art is pretty neat lookin...

Anonymous (April 10, 2004)

Mad fucking ill cover art. Wish I could draw that shiznit...

-c22

GreenVandal (April 8, 2004)

Whether or not its original isnt the point, its whether or not its good.

And its not. not even close.

Anonymous (April 8, 2004)

they are not original and innovative but I dont give a fuck about that...but they still just suck

fatbrendan (April 7, 2004)

wo, that was actually exactly what i want to say all the time, i think i'm just going to quote you from now on. that was awesome. and yes, the cover art is killer.

Anonymous (April 7, 2004)

wah wah not original. good lord you fucking idiots. not every band can come around and create new kinda shit. when a band comes out sounding like strike anywhere, are you gonna bitch cause they copied them? no, it's a fucking band who likes that kinda music, and likes playing that kinda music. so what if they get released? i saw hidden in plain view last night, and i dont care for their music, but i love them live, and i give them credit for doing what they do, just like these guys. sounds like thursday sounds like thursday, sounds likes TBS, sounds like MXPX, fucking shit, so fucking what?! what does your band sound like? i'm suuuuuure they made something that NO ONE ESLE has ever done. you guys need to fuckign eat a big fat original dick. and i like that cover art. no matter what a band does, the fucking reviewer will kill the cover no matter what. bling.

Anonymous (April 7, 2004)

This is SO BAD.

Pumpkineater Records is easily the worst label around...they're so behind on EVERYTHING...they still think the bands playing this style are cool.

Jesse (April 7, 2004)

Holy fuckbeans his blows ass. This is everything I hate about music summed up into one Shark Sandwhich.

The cover art blows as well. Ooh, some dark haired kid with a lighter looking emotional. I thought Thursday blew. Then I thought that the dudes who tried to sound like a harder Thursday blew even more. Now I realize that the dudes trying to sound like a wussier Thursday suck even more than them. And this is an example why.

Anonymous (April 6, 2004)

Ive seen them all the time at hamilton st in nj, and I see that singer at the mall 24/7. This music is nothing new.

Anonymous (April 6, 2004)

this just plainly sucks another faceless band

fatbrendan (April 6, 2004)

i don't rank Saosin like i do those other bands, but they are of similar style. Saosin is a much better band than Matchbook Romance or Story of the Year.

inagreendase (April 6, 2004)

From an mp3 I heard, shit sucks.

Anonymous (April 6, 2004)

they played at a restraunt/bar by my house... nothing new, but their set was tolerable to moderately enjoyable... much more so than the band they're touring with, rookie of the year

tyroneshoelaces (April 6, 2004)

That is fucking crazy album art

GYBE (April 6, 2004)

I'm a little insulted you rank Saosin with SOTY and Matcbook Romance, but good review.