Are you a bit short on time but need your fill of raw hardcore? Well here’s a nice proposition for ya – listen to 20 songs in 23 mintues of F-MINUS and see what it does for ya. Man, after their debut full length a little more than a year back, I was not sold on these guys at all. The songs were generic, passionless, and the recording was pretty crappy. HOWEVER this is a total rebirth, as F-MINUS on here draw strong comparisons to one of my favorite bands of all time, KILL YOUR IDOLS, and another killer act, CRISPUS ATTUCKS. Granted, the songs are still ridiculously short, but the song structures are much better and the vocals (all four members sing either together or separately) are awesome. I especially dig the tracks sung by the two gals, Jen Johnson, and Erica Daking. Lyrics fall under “politically charged and socially conscious,” but so few words are spent per song, most of the tunes just act as a few lines of stuff to scream. As their first album was abrasive, the production on “Suburban Blight,” almost gives it a silky edge. Yes, it’s still pure quick-blast hardcore, but there’s an element of refinement that I think helps one digest this a lot easier. Recommended songs include, “Vultures,” “Cosmetic,” and the killer, “See Me Bleed.” The packaging is fairly simplistic but very sharp and clean looking. Overall, this is a quality release, that shows off a lot of good in not so much time.

Hellcat/Epitaph

www.epitaph.com