Her Candane

After months of being caught in record label limbo (and the band losing a couple members to Fear Before the March of Flames), Her Candane’s No Battle! finally saw the light of day in late 2006 after the band inked a deal with Tribunal Records. The album is a dirty, debauched southern rock-tinged post-hardcore fistfight reminiscent of Every Time I Die or He Is Legend, and fans of either of those bands will undoubtedly find a lot to like here.

Compared to their debut, 2003’s Could Be Nothing to Some, No Battle! shows a lot of progression for Her Candane. While nothing has drastically changed about their sound, their songwriting has gotten noticeably tighter. The band has attained a solid grasp on how to be both chaotic and listenable, which is something that helps set them apart from some of their peers. Songs like “Hurry Up and Die (Cuz There’s a Party in Hell)" and “Duh. A Giant Scorpion!” have a certain sort of infectious quality to them that makes you want to pump your fist and shout, “Fuck yeah!”

The one thing holding this album back is the sheer number of other bands playing this exact same style these days. With so many bands sticking to a very similar formula to the one Her Candane has struck upon (technical hardcore guitars, southern rock riffs, and nonsensical song titles), this disc could easily end up lost in the shuffle. Still, Her Candane does the “hardcore meets southern rock” thing with more balls and personality than most, even if it’s nothing you haven’t already heard before. However, judged strictly on its own merits, No Battle! is an enjoyable if not familiar record.