This is Hell – S/T / 2005 State of Mind / 6 Tracks / http://www.thisishell.org / http://www.stateofmindrecordings.com / Reviewed 21 January 2006

Playing a furious brand of hardcore that seems just as influenced by the speed punk of bands like Misfits as much as they are by the tough guy type of hardcore that dominated the nineties, This is Hell come off as much more palatable than either the technical-core that is getting all the play or the emocore that is plastered all throughout Hot Topic.

In that sense, tracks like “Heaven Sent, Hell Bound” are like Righteous Jams; fast, intense while still having some pop sensibilities that makes it fun to listen to. Tracks are typically short here, with the six tracks not even breaking the fourteen minute mark. Each of the tracks here blast through before the band could begin to lose their momentum. “Diamond Lanterns” is a perfect example of the blind fury in which This is Hell works; with a stop-start sound and activist drums, there is no doubt that the pit would be three miles beyond deadly at any This is Hell show. The production value on this self-titled EP is beyond great; it is a rare find when one can actually hear everything the vocalist is playing when the guitars have such a dominant role on the disc.

The band is a well-oiled machine; the drums drop in punctuating the short silences that are present on tracks like “Moving Targets”. The only thing that can be said to be a fault with the production on this disc is that the bass is not very audible amongst the churning guitars and bassy vocals. At two and a half minutes, a track like “Ad Infinitum” is quite the epic for This Is Hell. The guitar line that is a bridge between the two segments of the track really shows the skill of the band in a way that the very terse musical statements that litter the landscape of this EP just are not able to. Even with these six cuts, individuals get an idea of what This is Hell is all about; even “When Death Closes Your Eyes” really gives listeners a perfect example on how a band should end a disc. This is Hell has rocked fans for only thirteen minutes, but the experience is not to be forgotten quickly. Chances are that individuals’ heads will be bopping well after the disc has ceased to play, and minds will be hoping that This is Hell will give us a LP to chew on.

Top Track: Ad Infinitum

Rating: 7.4/10

[JMcQ]