The Waiting Room,
ArmsbendbackThe label that acompanies this release suggests Armsbenback are "a crushing blend of primal emotion for fans of Glassjaw, The Juliana Theory, Finch and Thrice." If I was in any of those bands I would sue under the trades description act. Not only is 'The Waiting Room' a generic piece of crap, it's a festering, stinking piece of crap. To think I actually paid money for this release is the ultimate crime. Now Trustkill Records are quickly growing in stature with releases from Poison The Well, Open Hand and Hopesfall - but what on Earth do they see in Armsbendback? Maybe it's the $ sign - after all, putting such stickers on releases will entice people to buy the record. But the band don't actually sound like any of those previously mentioned; it's just watered down emo rubbish which other Punktastic staff members would rather piss on than review.
'Countdown To The End Of The World' is sadly a false dawn, mixing crushing guitars with an ounce of melody to come up with an interetsing enough concoction, but from there it's all downhill. 'Primera (Last Goodbye)' is wishy-washy and not aggressive enough to be hardcore or melodic enough to have you singing along. The vocals are too light and the screaming is too obvious and too frequent - don't even get me started on the basic lyrics. "This is my last goodbye" they yell; you're damn right, this is being consined to a shelf to gather dust.
'Trading In The Silence' recycles the same old riffs, 'The Arms Of Automation' sounds more like Incubus than Glassjaw and 'Terms and Conditions' is just rubbish. What makes me laugh heartily is the Thrice comparison - I'd be ashamed if I was in Armsbendback because the level of musicianship is about a tenth of the quality as Dustin and his merry men. The de-tuned, turgid riffs peddled out en masse here and insulting to the more imaginative bands on the scene. I like post-hardcore and emo when it is done well, but records like this are blatant label cash-ins on the latest trend. It's not original, big or clever. Infact, it's just plain crap.
www.armsbendback.com
Trustkill Records
Paul
