Framework

Judging from the constant presence of drill instructor-like hollering, it's easy to pass off Dear Life's 2008 release, Framework, as a hardcore release, and move on to the next one. But...dig a bit deeper beneath the surface, 'cause there's certainly more than meets the eye. True, singer Kevin Castellon is a sucker for yelling. But like countless other bands of the early-21st century, Dear Life do not specialize in straight-ahead hardcore. The guitar riffs are absolutely metallic, the tricky song structures border on prog at times, and Fugazi-esque vocal melodies rear their head from time to time — as detected on such angst-filled little ditties as "Prophets" and "Puppy Mills Breed Misery." Picture a more refined Dillinger Escape Plan (a group that Dear Life have toured with in the past), and you're not off from the sonic head-on collision that awaits you on Framework.