Some people just don't get instrumental music. I guess they can't deal with that point at the 2:00 mark of the first song, the brain searching frantically and simultaneously for both familiarity and stimulation, realizing "Hey! There's no vocals!". I have a somewhat different reaction, as my brain commonly searches for familiarity, stimulation, and the absence of a crooning Lou Gramm-wannabe. So, I'm often relieved at the two minute mark. Plus, I like all that twisty turny punky stop-on-a-dime stuff, so this TREPHINE disc was right up my alley in a lot of ways. And they're Bal-mer Maryland locals, so naturally I was quite pleased to hear this. My question is: when is a label like Public Guilt going to pick up UNCLE GUT? Great band, but I digress...

My assessment would be that these grooves are more KEELHAUL than CABALLERO, more CONVERGE than GONE. TREPHINE dodges in and out of traffic while juggling sharp objects and simultaneously kicking dirt in your face. We're talking jaunty mid-tempo breezes with occasional gusts of DEATH ANGEL riffage (as in "Devil's Activist") or PRIMUS quack-and-waddle ("Goes to Hell, Mr. Wiggles (part two)"). The whole thing is wrapped up in this clever sort of 'never knowing what they'll do next' kind of spontaneity."Trephine" is aggressive, metallic, nimble, and fun. By the way, I think a trephine is some kind of bone saw. Recommended.

- Marchman

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/trephine

MP3 SOUND SCRAP: Age of Reptiles

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