There’s a mismatch in my head of a hardcore project-band named THE ALLIGATORS that’s features famed-AGNOSTIC FRONT leader Roger Miret and is backed by the rhythm section of the legendary California hardcore outfit INSTED. Maybe it’s the visual of Miret decked out in Lacoste attire as he holds someone in a headlock during casual conversation. Times Up, You’re Dead is the first full-length from this group (some of the songs were previously released on an EP with Indecision Records), and it’s exactly what you’d think of in a pairing of Miret and INSTED, with short, short, short, songs. Six of the sixteen tunes cruise-in under a minute, and the songs are hard. Lush instrumentation and gratuitous breakdowns have been kicked to the curb, as most of the songs go with a straight-ahead pounding of drumming and an array of buzzsaw guitar riffs (though the tribal drumming on opener “Cause and Effect” was an improbable asset). Miret’s ‘body-part-in-a-clamp’ yelp is something I’m not going to criticize, it’s a love it or leave attribute, but for AF fans who have passed on that band’s latter metallic hardcore ventures, his style seems much more retro-comfortable in this band. Well-composed short songs are something to marvel over, especially when there’s a killer 38 second tune with an 18 second scowling, move the dance floor intro (“Not A Fucking Police State”). Despite the initial novelty send-up, Times Up, You’re Dead is a no joke, and a position association for the Miret and INSTED family trees.

Bridge Nine