The problem with a lot of crust punk and sludge records these days - despite eye-catching artwork and low price tags – is stylistic inbreeding. Many of these bands work so hard at emulating the heroes of the past, they forget to create interesting songs. The result is oftentimes an album that gets the blood pumping in track one, but disintegrates into sameness by track four.

TFW get around this problem by creating an assortment of short and potent songs, each pulling from a grab bag of memorable riffs, catchy breakdowns, and short lead bursts without any sacrifice of intensity. Tempos speed along at a breakneck pace reminiscent of early DISCHARGE, slowing to sludgy EYEHATEGOD paces and back again. The sound is loud, furious and full; quite a racket for a three-piece. Craig Kasmis’ guitar fills and sparse solos straddle the line between Bay Area thrash and single-note wails. The guttural screams and barks of Kasamis and bass player Nick Minasian blend together convincingly, steering clear of the irritating metalcore-ish 'two vocalist syndrome' that can be so chafing to the ears. The bass tones are bowel-rattling, as evidenced in the warbling breakdown of “Gaze of the Cyclops”. The stop-on-a-dime power and precision of “Hell Flies Tonight” is tighter than your monthly gas budget; truly uncanny for a debut disc.

At any rate, if you like speedy punk a la TRAGEDY peppered with sludge and songs that don’t sacrifice staying power for ass-chomping riffs, TFW may be one of your smarter purchases this year.

- Marchman

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/thefuckingwrath

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