Although my tastes in music are widely varied, if there’s a certain particular sound that I’m always a sucker for when done well, it’s hardcore with catchy, aggressive, melodic vocals. So it shouldn’t be any surprise to anyone that bands like BAD RELIGION, THRICE, AVAIL, and H20 are all on my good side (even though those bands sound nothing alike). With that in mind, CONTENDER can gladly be added to that list. “Away With Words” is a scathing 29 minute ride full of refreshing, urgent sounding music. With the majority of the tracks sporting two vocalists and some fantastically played bass lines, there’s a lot of dynamics to the band. The lead vocals pretty much sell this band, as Kap harps on a cynical tone throughout his passages – resulting in a highly identifiable sound, doused in emotion. To compliment the normally melodic parts, CONTENDER’s second vocalist (and bassist) spews forth with some great screaming that reminds me heavily of THRICE’s recent material. The second track, “A Call to Arms” starts off with an incredible hook in the line, “extraordinary times call for extraodinary men,” and it’s sung in a way that makes you want to repeat the words back to yourself over and over again. CONTENDER’s song structures are anything but formulaic, loaded with timing changes and shifts between the quiet and the raging. All of the instrumentation on this disc is rock solid, and the less than polished, loud production style captures the energy of this band well. Although these guys aren’t nearly as proficient in songwriting as AVAIL, nor do the vocals work in the same manner, CONTENDER appear to wear their hearts on their collective sleeves in the same fashion with their lyrics. The song “Chalk Bored Outline” ends with the rippin’ lines, “Manicured lawns and unspoken bombs mingle as we march / Sunken ships that pass in the night, preparing for the battle of our lives.” I’m still not sure what these words mean, but the openness left for interpretion is neverending. “Away With Words” is the kind of disc that I can listen to on repeat for a few hours and not get tired of hearing it over and over again. With each successive listen, I find myself more engaged with the lyrics and more aware of the song movements. Like any good band, CONTENDER’s songs demand your full attention. I have a feeling that CONTENDER will be one of those sleeper bands with great releases in 2002 – make an effort to seek this one out and keep it from becoming obscure.

Negative Progression

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