Stabbing the Drama in Bloomington, MN

Boasting what is quite possibly the most lavish packaging ever created for an E.P. -- and a split one at that -- this sixteen-minute, six track release pairs two Connecticut-based
hardcore
bands,
With Honor
and
the Distance
. The first combines severe
straight edge
values with a distinctly metallic edge, then tosses in singalong gang choruses to sweeten the otherwise grueling intensity of
"Gun for Hire,"
"Long Story Short,"
and the sobering anthem to disillusion that is
"Pipe Dream."
The second pursues a slightly less stern world-philosophy to go with their looser and more traditional
style, highlighted here by the particularly cathartic rush of
"It's a Long Way Down"
and the rather depressed
"We're All Here Alive and Unwell,"
which they pull off with the help of
the Hope Conspiracy
singer
Kevin Baker
. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia