About this time last year, In At The Deep End was arguably my favourite UK label. With stellar releases from the likes of Hitechjet, The Killerest Expression, Steel Rules Die and The Wireless Stores, everything the label touched turned to gold. But just when you thought everything was rosy the label changed tack and went down a more aggressive route – snapping up Send More Paramedics and November Coming Fire. The Letters Organize are the latest addition to the roster and they’re another band who base their sound on the volume knob rather than the melody.
That’s not to say this US crew are crap, but it’s something which doesn’t do much for me. Described as Refused meets JR Ewing, the band play a furiously aggressive brand of hardcore over the course of 8-tracks. ‘The Cure’ is arguably the best song on offer, all aggressive guitars and death-defying screams, but over the course of the album it all becomes a bit predictable. ‘Song of Hope’ gives a bit of vocal diversity, but on the whole if you like your music to rock hard then this band will probably do more for you than they do for me. Kudos for the fantastic artwork though, something which you now expect from IATDE releases.
If you’ve liked the ‘harder’ edge the recent IATDE releases have added, then this record will probably float your boat. For me, however, there’s nothing Earth-shatteringly good about it. It’s been done better, it’s been done worse – maybe IATDE’s own high standards make a critical eye strain even harder.
Paul