Prolonging the Inevitable

Founded by former members of the Phoenix, Arizona bands Mandingo and Adam's Alcoholics, Stereotyperider deals in a sound that generally gets called "post-hardcore," which basically means that it's big and heavy but still at least somewhat melodic, and involves no keyboards. It also means that it's still somewhere to the hardcore side of emo, with a bit less heart-on-the-sleeve emotion and a bit more cynicism and bitterness. Prolonging the Inevitable is the group's third full-length album, and it finds them continuing to refine and hone their trademark sound without sacrificing any of their patented heaviosity. When they sing "I hope you can deal with all the songs that sound the same" on "You're Not Safe With Us," you may wonder whether they're warning you about other people's music or their own; that's not to say that everything on this album sounds exactly the same, but there's not enough sonic variety here to give them cover if they're actually harshing on other bands. But even if their sound is a bit consistent, it's consistently quite good, and songs like "Puncture the Burn" and "By Today's Standards, Old and Jaded" bring the noise nicely while offering plenty of hooks to hold on to underneath the rumble and roar. Recommended.