Post by jptheprofessor on Oct 30, 2006 11:57:19 GMT -5
SECOND OFFENSE - SEVEN (Heartless Mockery Records) Altoona's Second Offense ups the ante across the board on their second studio offering, Seven. Seven is actually a concept album about the Seven Deadly Sins; comprised of seven songs, each titled and dealing with one of the sins - gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, vanity, lust and envy. Second Offense steps up the brutality, intensity and aggression on Seven's all-out metalcore. Wally Fiedor's drum work constantly pummels with the concussive force of an armored tank division; his punishment is especially lethal on the disc's closing track, "Envy." Meanwhile, Jes Mattern's bass lines malevolently rumble and creep along, swirling and filling in at the foundation of the sound. Brian Faychak's guitar riffs snarl, roar, slash and hack with forceful, violent intensity. All three of these instrumental components effectively construct the harsh and uncompromising backdrops for frontman Myke Long, who ups the ante in his delivery. Myke sounds angrier and more ferocious, and he sells his analytical studies of the mindsets of the Seven Deadly Sins with convincing and confident aggression, clarity, angst and passion. The songwriting and composition are an improvement over the group's Suffer Through Dishonesty debut; these tunes have better-defined plots and direction, and Myke's lyrics are more pointed and focused. Recorded at Altoona's FaceOff Muzik Studios and engineered and mixed by Matt Winrick, Seven sounds appropriately crisp and razor sharp. The components of Second Offense's attack sound appropriately jagged, brash and thunderous, yet balanced; with timely samples, electronics and studio effects fleshing out the presentation to enhance its maximum impact. Second Offense doesn't just step up the brashness and brutality quotients on Seven, but also offers detail, finesse and thought-provoking lyrics and theme. The results are convincingly bristling, powerful, angry and clever. Seven isn't for the faint of heart, but for fans of metal and hardcore, this disc dishes out quality punishment and aggression. Breakable furniture, be forewarned. (The disc can be obtained at the group's shows, or through the group's Myspace site, www.myspace.com/secondoffense.)