Terror - Lowest Of The Low

Former Buried Alive singer Scott Vogel and crew sure know how to make a hardcore album -- fast and hard. You could say they're kind of a hardcore band's hardcore band, and these guys appear to be making a lot of waves in the scene. The five-piece from California exhibits exuberant talent here, and throughout all the screaming, the fist pumping shout-along choruses, the pit-inducing guitars, and the double bass drumming, the band seems to be lacking only one thing: versatile songwriting. Don't get me wrong, I like this band quite a bit, but most of the songs on here sound the same. While Vogel has a perfectly brutal voice and pens well thought out lyrics, at some points he throws in unneccessary profanity which turns me off; it's rather childish, actually. The only song that I would label as "great" on here is "Push it Away," which is the one tune that really stands out in my mind. However, each song on here is an adequate track, and there is not a boring second on the record, though the entirety clocks in at under 17 minutes. Terror lacks some variety on Lowest of the Low, then again, if I was a hardcore kid, I'm sure I would soil myself over this record. Basically, if you dig hardcore artists such as Hatebreed, Throwdown, and Give Up the Ghost, you'll enjoy these nine acts of violence quite a bit. If you are the occasional hardcore listener, make sure you hear the whole record before throwing your hard-earned cash away on it. [www.terrorhc.com]