Band : Trash Talk
Album : Eyes And Nines
Release Year : 2010
Genre : Hardcore / Thrash
Tracklist:
1. Vultures
2. Flesh & Blood
3. Explode
4. Hash Wednesday
5. Envy
6. Rabbit Holes
7. I Do
8. Trudge
9. On a Fix
10. Eyes & Nines
2. Flesh & Blood
3. Explode
4. Hash Wednesday
5. Envy
6. Rabbit Holes
7. I Do
8. Trudge
9. On a Fix
10. Eyes & Nines
Every genre of music has it’s stereotypes, but for some these are truer than for others. Hardcore, for instance is often cited as valuing speed before strategy, brutality before beauty and volume before vigilance, rulings which at first glance portray a style lacking in intelligence and direction. But while there are some notable exceptions, many hardcore bands certainly fit this stereotype, and on first glance, Californian outfit Trash Talk would appear to be one of them.
Since their formation in 2005, this quartet have blurted out material with almost alarming regularity. Up until now, they have released four EP’s, two compilations and a live album, and on top of all that, Eyes & Nines is their third full length outing, all of this in a mere five years. Producing output at such a prolific rate does, of course, raise various questions and doubts, with whether the band has any sense of quality control immediately springing to mind. On this point, this third record gives off mixed signals.
The first thing that should be noted here is that the label “full-length” is rather misleading. The band’s 2006 debut, Walking Disease had a rather paltry running time, and this record itself only goes on for seventeen minutes. In truth, this has more characteristics of an EP than an album, and indeed there are many EP’s with far longer running times than your average Trash Talk album. It would certainly be reasonable to assume that this shows the band are more concerned with releasing material regularly than producing something of any real definitive quality.
But what of the music on offer? Unfortunately, this also seems at first to lack the ambition needed to make the band anything to write home about. There is very little – if anything – in the way of originality or new ideas that can push the genre forward from its current state of saturation – something that is true for all too many hardcore bands. The running times for some of the songs also give off negative signals, as many are simply too short to get any kind of momentum going before they reach their conclusion. I Do, for instance, clocks in at a feeble thirty-nine seconds, and would probably be classed as an interlude if the material around it suffered from the same problems.
However, these initial impressions don’t give the full picture, as there are some aspects of Eyes & Nines that suggest the band aren’t just content with throwing out anything - no matter how messy. While individual tracks, as mentioned, often lack momentum because of their length, collectively they tend to be far more effective. The first three tracks, for instance, prove a relentless opening, while the final six race through with ferocious efficiency, being totally devoid of excess.
Since their formation in 2005, this quartet have blurted out material with almost alarming regularity. Up until now, they have released four EP’s, two compilations and a live album, and on top of all that, Eyes & Nines is their third full length outing, all of this in a mere five years. Producing output at such a prolific rate does, of course, raise various questions and doubts, with whether the band has any sense of quality control immediately springing to mind. On this point, this third record gives off mixed signals.
The first thing that should be noted here is that the label “full-length” is rather misleading. The band’s 2006 debut, Walking Disease had a rather paltry running time, and this record itself only goes on for seventeen minutes. In truth, this has more characteristics of an EP than an album, and indeed there are many EP’s with far longer running times than your average Trash Talk album. It would certainly be reasonable to assume that this shows the band are more concerned with releasing material regularly than producing something of any real definitive quality.
But what of the music on offer? Unfortunately, this also seems at first to lack the ambition needed to make the band anything to write home about. There is very little – if anything – in the way of originality or new ideas that can push the genre forward from its current state of saturation – something that is true for all too many hardcore bands. The running times for some of the songs also give off negative signals, as many are simply too short to get any kind of momentum going before they reach their conclusion. I Do, for instance, clocks in at a feeble thirty-nine seconds, and would probably be classed as an interlude if the material around it suffered from the same problems.
However, these initial impressions don’t give the full picture, as there are some aspects of Eyes & Nines that suggest the band aren’t just content with throwing out anything - no matter how messy. While individual tracks, as mentioned, often lack momentum because of their length, collectively they tend to be far more effective. The first three tracks, for instance, prove a relentless opening, while the final six race through with ferocious efficiency, being totally devoid of excess.
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