Music of 2007 Part 2: This Place Is Evil

25. HORSE the Band- A Natural Death (Koch Records) August 28

The first band on this countdown with the word “horse” in it, HORSE the band is a very interesting hardcore band in that their keyboard player retrofitted an LSDJ and a Game Boy system together to synthesize an authentic 8-bit digital sound similar to (well, exactly like) the sounds heard from a game boy or Nintendo. Their song topics range all over the plane of ridiculous: video games (“Cutsman”, “Birdo”), comic books (“The Red Tornado”), bear attacks (“Face of Bear”), and even pizza (“Anti-Pizza”, “Crippled by Pizza (Pizzarrhea in the Pizzeria)”, “Werepizza”, “Pizza Nif”). Why it’s up here: Did the description not get you excited enough? This band’s completely insane! The songs are great, too!! Why it’s down here: A few of the songs are just… good. Normally that’s not a problem, but this is an end-of-year countdown, so with half-great half-good you can’t expect to be at the top… Jam This Song: “Sex Raptor”, “Face of Bear”

24. Motion City Soundtrack- Even if it Kills Me (Epitaph) September 18

It’s fun and poppy FUSE-rock all the way with Motion City Soundtrack. This band is a bit more mainstream than most that I jam out to, and I’m not even too sure of how I happened onto it but I REALLY like it. It’s rockin’ but it definitely brings a bit more melancholy and pop to the table than stuff I’m usually downing. Why it’s up here: This stuff is INSANELY catchy. Even after only a few listens I was ready to sing along with plenty of the tracks and even had a few stuck in my head. Why it’s down here: No offense, but it’s just not the stuff I usually listen to, so it’s not gonna be top of the heap. This is a big list, 24’s nothing to be ashamed of! Jam This Song: “This is For Real”, “Calling All Cops”

23. Nodes of Ranvier- Defined by Struggle (Victory) July 24

Nodes (from fantastic Sioux Falls, SD) have been around quite a long time. Now on Victory Records, they come offering Defined by Struggle, and while it’s not like what they’ve done before, it’s great. They’ve got a new vocalist but the same attitude, and the sound’s changed a bit from album to album. If you come expecting Nodes of Ranvier Nodes of Ranvier… then you’re probably going to be disappointed. Why it’s up here: Even the lesser ranked songs on here are SICK. It rocks hard and keeps going the whole way through. Another big plus to Nodes is their creativity and blending abilities. The album’s intro is a great example of this, as is the opening to “Archegos” which is a clip from Pirate of the Caribbean 2. Why it’s down here: While all the songs are GREAT, it doesn’t have the “stick to your brain, make you wanna listen non-stop” overall feel to it. If you’ve heard the self-titled album before, you probably know exactly what I’m talking about. Also, the irksome (but musically awesome) “Wrathbearer” holds this album back just a little bit. Jam This Song: “Defined by Struggle”, “Archegos”

22. The Agony Scene- Get Damned (Century Media) October 23 “The False Alarm”

Me and the Agony Scene go way back, I tell you. My first summer working at a camp, The Darkest Red came out and made me a fan, so I went out and bought the Solid State-released self-titled album, which was (in my opinion, but not many others’) way better. Even though the band has abandoned their Christian title (if they ever even had it, who knows, not a big deal) and are great “scene”- core with high and brutal screaming. I heard some demo tracks for this album way back in the summer and was terrified that the album was going to suck big time. I’m not even sure why I hated those tracks at the time, because I seem to like them just fine now. Why it’s up here: It’s fast, it’s brutal, it’s dark and angry, and it’s awesome. It’s a good ride from beginning to end. Why it’s down here: The album gets a little repetitive, to the point of asking “Haven’t I already heard this song?” but it doesn’t take much away from the overall feel and sound. Also, vocalist Michael Williams has a high and piercing growl but his AMAZING scream is sadly underused in this offering. Jam This Song: “Dances With Devils”

21. Oh, Sleeper- When I Am God (Solid State) October 23 “Local Flavor”

Oh, Sleeper was made out of the carcass of the failed Tooth & Nail band Terminal (there’s a joke in there, honest). Strike One. Oh, Sleeper is from my neighboring city of Fort Worth, Texas. Strike Two. Oh, Sleeper sounds NOTHING like Terminal, has the talented Shane Blay (formerly of Between the Buried & Me) for a guitarist, and got signed to Solid State Records. Home Run! Why it’s up here: I’ll make it simple: “Vices Like Vipers” is why it’s up here. Also, can’t much hate on the great melodic blending they do throughout the album. Why it’s down here: They’re new, and not as established as most of your other Solid State bands. In time... Jam This Song: “Vices Like Vipers”