Become - Demo Tape (Demo Dogz #3)

Against the Grain

Before Become, the only thing I knew about Santa Barbara was that a guy I knew in L.A. used to fly there daily to go work on heat-seeking missiles. Members of this band have done time in a bunch of other bands, most notably Broken Needle, but also X-Wing who I got a 7" split for at a crappy house show in Utah out of a distro.

This demo tape sports great artwork with an excellent logo that looks absolutely great on the shirts in the Take it Back store.

This is a style of hardcore that's often attempted and more often than not, not done well. I really can't complain about the execution here though as the latent melody (which does exist) never chokes out the throaty scrap and explosive rawness of it. Obviously Swiz and Rites of Spring get connected to this band (and "Ever Know" sounds the most Rites of Spring-y in the bunch), but I also hear flecks of Grey Matter (their label, Take it Back is named for a Grey Matter album), some of the later era Turning Point riffs n' tones and Embrace (particularly in "Floor.") Toss up between the aptly named "Drowning" (which has everyone going at mach-ten, sputtering in exuberant brilliance) and "Melatonin" (with a saccharine sweet riff to close it out). The only real breather is the break at the end of "Ever Know" while the rest maintains a wild-eyed ferocity throughout. Infectious.

Verdict: Excellent...and word on the street is that they're going to have a new song on the 'Starting from Zero' comp that Crucial Response is releasing.

Stream it at their bandcamp here and then buy it from Take it Back here. Find more info at Take it Back's Facebook page.