New Jersey‘s A Lifeless Alliance are a very promising prospect. Listing bands such as AFI, Good Riddance, Lagwagon and Rise Against as influences, the band are fast, loud and melodic. It’s the kind of musical diet I was fed in the late 1990s when the Epi-Fat sound was the order of the day – so anyone who harks back to that time will really enjoy this six-tracker. What really encourages me is that ALA really don’t hold back on the vocal melodies – so while songs like ‘Kill Taker’ are fast and hard-hitting, there’s plenty to sing along with too.
‘Sel Abandoned’ mixes up the pace a lot, as does ‘No Bones Broken’ so you never feel the band can only just do 100-miles per hour skate punk. ‘Minor Threats’ is obviously influenced by a certain band from years past, while the lead riff that starts off ‘Hope’ is one of the best things on this record although the song itself possibly goes on too long. If you’re a fan of any of the bands mentioned above then A Lifeless Alliance are well worth checking out and would be ones to keep an eye on.
www.myspace.com/alifelessalliance
Faction Zero Records
Paul