Moment / There Were Wires

While their label would seek to pin There Were Wires as picking up where such bands as Deadguy and Unbroken left off, better options might be to say that they are a heavier Saetia, Converge's younger brother, or a grind-less version of His Hero Is Gone. There Were Wires take short blasts of brutality (the majority of the songs are less than two minutes), stops-and-starts, and harsh vocals to make a 14-song album. The first nine songs are all recorded in the studio, and the last five are a product of a live recording from a Massachusetts radio station. The songs show the band continually on the attack, even with the acoustic tune "Bigger and Better Things," which has the singer refusing to give up his throaty, tortured vocals. The radio tracks show the band a bit looser, thus more akin to their live state, which is surely where they shine. Lyrically, the band turns towards introspection, emotions, and questioning relationships, all with the general angsty feel usually found in a hardcore album.