Stillsuit - At The Speed Of Light

Stillsuit is a hard-core band from Long Island, NY and was the previous band of Manuel Carrero, bassist for GlassJAw. The songs on the album are intense from beginning to end and aren't to be listened to for any sort of relaxation purposes. To be truthful, the songs on the album seem to motivate to me to create things and live life. Every time I put in the CD, I am always working, drawing, or doing something that involves moving around a lot. And for a hardcore album, some of which consists of dynamically limited musicians fronted by some sort of screaming bear, it displays incredible musicianship and dynamics. The vocalist, Julian Vasquez, musically screams and kind-of-sings his way through the songs, but what he lacks in musical ability he makes up in rhythm and lyrical content. The lyrics are some of the most human and accessible words ever sung over music. In any case, Vasquez says what he is trying to say without indiscernible metaphors, but with untainted honesty. I feel the album is a good taste of hardcore music for people that aren't true or devoted hardcore fans, like myself. It comes down to whether or not you need a good change of pace from the two-note riff, modern metal shit that is all over the radio and MTV. [www.tvtrecords.com]