HONOR ROLE has devolved since their highly distinctive debut. Time seems to have eroded the vocal uniqueness and punky tightness of the past; while there’s good, hard guitarwork and some interesting ideas, not one song really stands out from the pack.
This is heavy with the post-punk drum and bass sound, and while the title track has interesting lyrics, the music simply drones. The flip is a bit more upbeat, combined with more of an edge, yet still doesn’t stand out.
Their first records will stay dear in my memory, but the new HONOR ROLE sound is much stronger and improved. Excellent production matched up with stuttering rhythms and great rough vocals make this a top-notch effort.
A new thrash outfit distinguished by a clean, undistorted guitar tone, unusually youthful vocals, and some clever bridges. The overall sound is too thin to generate a spastic head-banging response, but some of the tracks have exuberant choruses (like “New Hope” and “I’m a Nerd”). Give it a listen.
Two Richmond bands share this tape—HONOR ROLE and GRAVEN IMAGE. The former is a bit better recorded, but it matters little since both produce great manic blasts of hardcore hysteria. (Uh oh, I’m starting to sound like Pushead.) Send away.
