3 out of 5

Label: Hydra Head Records

Produced by: A.J. Mogis

Remember how early Hydra Head had some emo going on? I mean, you had grind and hardcore from the start, but also… Boysetsfire and Piebald, and Boxer Rebellion, who’s short time in the music world seemed to also give us Vent (also also from early HH days).

Like a lot of here-and-then-gone genre acts, there’s a kernel of interesting ideals waiting to pop into something more satisfying, but the group can’t quite get the pieces to come together for that. The 7″s two tracks are more Discord-y than anything else, with an interesting bit of post-rock plodding during the buildups. Lyrics are worth digging into, and are shouted cleanly, with punky / emo-earnestness. While the recording, from A.J. Mogis, probably could do with a better mix or master, the rawness of the sound fits the act well, and gives the build-and-release flow room to do its own thing. Just, as alluded, when the group tries to slide back and forth between its quiet / loud modes, it’s not super smooth, and no element is especially more noteworthy than others.

However, I’d argue the crossing over between an early Touch and Go vibe and the Discord stuff feels / sounds cool for ’97, and I probably would’ve been interested to follow this band to their full-length – a quality not shared by many here-and-then-goners.