Various Artists “Hopelessly Devoted To You Vol. 4″
As one of the best independent labels currently roaming the plant, Hopeless Records serves up another tremendously cool treat in their “Hopelessly Devoted to You” series with Volume Four. The best asset in this series is the preponderance of unreleased songs, and this disc is no slouch, with more than half of the 18 songs coming in a previously unheard. Hopeless Records and sister label, Subcity Records feature a roster that gets more impressive with each successive release – and what’s best is that there’s not one tune to be found on here from the NOBODYS (a band that I love about as much as I appreciate GUTTERMOUTH’s existence). Anyhow, THRICE kickstart this compilation with the teeming, “Betrayal is a Symptom” and that song rolls right into a unreleased track from metalcore misfits, AVENGED SEVENFOLD. At more than five minutes long, “Second Heartbeat” is AVENGED SEVENFOLD’s tribute to Europe’s finest death-metalers, sounding more like DIMMU BORGIR than their US contemporaries. Just wait to you hear those double-bass rolls!!! AGAINST ALL AUTHORITY turn in two solid songs that keep their ska/punk rumblings fresh, and the same goes for the music supplied by MUSTARD PLUG. Jesse Michael’s band, COMMON RIDER hits a high-note with their new song, “Small Pebble” which strikes me a remarkably similar to the groove of OPERATION IVY’s “Sound System.” Coincidence? I think not. I didn’t care for the new WEATHERTHANS song, “Past Due,” but their track “Aside” had me stoked from the onset. DIGGER win “catchiest song” and “coolest song title” with their novel track, “The Ninja, The Pinto, The Dan Marino.” It actually makes sense when you listen to it. ATOM AND HIS PACKAGE don’t really leave too much of an impression on me, and that can be said as well for the acoustic JEFF OTT song, “Who’s Your Daddy.” The smokin’ finish comes from the AVENGED SEVENFOLD song, “Darkness Surrounding” (sweet, sweet bass lines), and THRICE’s unreleased basher, “Hideos Strength” which sounds like it came from the same session that produced their brillant album “The Illusion of Safety.” For $3.98, I’m not sure you can buy much better of a label sampler. I’m hopelessly devoted to Hopeless Records when it comes to listening to this cauldron of musical talent.
Hopeless/Subcity
