Drunken Violence

As this album shows, Fall Silent stands apart from most of the other bands dealing in hardcore-metal hybrids at the turn of the 2000s, as the group's music is distinct from the discordant, angular roar of noisecore and the tight, compacted groove of metalcore (at least to the extent that those genre labels can be generalized in such a way). Instead, they seem more inspired by old Florida death metal and even crossover thrash/speed metal such as D.R.I., as far as the metal part of the equation goes. The punk aspect comes out in the overall attitude, in the lyrics (metal bands do not sing about scenester-ism and record collecting, as Fall Silent does here on "The First Seven Inch Club") and in Levi Watson's shrill, snotty vocals. In fact, his vocals are what will likely make or break this album for most people, as they're probably an acquired taste, and one that not everyone is going to be able to acquire — parts of the album bring to mind the Beastie Boys' Mike D fronting Deicide, an incongruous mix. But setting aside the vocals, Fall Silent deserves credit for developing its own sound and putting together some musically solid tunes.