Post by jptheprofessor on Jul 15, 2007 21:56:35 GMT -5
CHAPTER 5 – A GREAT DAY TO DIE (Heartless Mockery Records) Altoona's Chapter 5 has been delivering their brand of bristling, aggressive punk-meets-hardcore-fueled rock for over a decade. On their third CD, A Great Day to Die, Chapter 5 again charges forth with a hard-hitting, angry, full-throttled attack over the disc’s eight songs. Singer/bassist Tim Mort, drummer Bill Mort, and the twin guitar tandem of Shaun Barr and Tom Noel generate rampaging, motorpsycho roar backdrops for Tim’s vicious Doberman howl, as he vents on themes of deceit, deception, inner torment and pain. Most of the songs get to the point quickly, featuring simple melodies capped with volatile gang shout choruses. The album launches at a breakneck pace with the opening barrage of "Inside Out" and "Buried," before offering the two-speed tension-and-release "Hollow Song." "Self Inflicted" rages along an escalating chord progression, before giving way to the swift and forceful "Compromised." "Same Old Thing" offers another dual-speed assault, before the album shifts key with "The Only Way," and races to the finish with "Stand Alone." The disc also features a bonus track, Chapter 5's remake of the Misfits' "Die Die My Darling," which appeared on last year's Heartless Mockery Records compilation Tribute to Misfits. Most of these songs charge along at a similar tempo and key, which might make the album blur together for the casual listener; but Chapter 5's constant velocity, rawness and intensity prevent things from getting dull. The performances are tightly executed and inspired, as the band passionately goes for broke and unleashes full fury on each song. Engineered and mixed by Matt Winrick at FaceOff Muzik Studio in Altoona, A Great Day to Die sounds appropriately sharp, jagged and powerful; capturing the essence of Chapter 5's volatility and intensity. Chapter 5 has become angrier, harder, leaner and meaner with age; A Great Day to Die, offers their most convincing no-holds-barred thrill ride yet. (The disc can be obtained at shows, at Custom Skin Art in Altoona or through Heartless Mockery Records’ Myspace site, www.myspace.com/heartlessmockeryrecords).