Armsbendback have established quite a following in the Northeast, ever since this Philadelphia-based quartet released their debut EP in 2002. Since then, they've been working hard to further refine their hardcore, rock and metal influences into the seamless whole we can all now experience on "The Waiting Room". The energy, passion and surprising precision these free-for-all rockers bring to their craft virtually burst forth from every track on this disc. And while things don't grow markedly after wading through this musical melange a few times, there's no question that this unit is on the cutting edge of the 2004 American indie metal scene.

The sticker on the CD cover says "A crushing blend of primal emotion for fans of Glassjaw, The Juliana Theory, Finch and Thrice," but they don't need band name-dropping to sell records, their music speaks for itself. Plus, the songs on The Waiting Room are a little too original for cheap comparisons. Mike Coasey handles the vocals very nicely, perhaps a little too nicely for the harder roots of the music itself, but the contrast is somewhat intriguing. There is some furious background screaming that might throw a "hardcore" label on the music to virgin ears, but as the band states repeatedly, "we're not a hardcore band." The songs and lyrics are vivid in their imagery, skimpy on their pretenses, and I like that. "This Could Be" and "Countdown to the End of the World" are my favorite tracks, but honestly, the weak songs are few and far between. Reading the lyrics, you can tell that Armsbendback is highly influenced by film, and I like that too.

ArmsBendBack burst onto the scene in 2002 with "Even Though I'll Hurt You." While there were only a handful on songs on the disc (five to be exact), they seemed to generate enough buzz to sign with Trustkill Records. Of course, it didn't hurt that this Philadelphia quartet was also heavily touring with the likes of OneLineDrawing and A Static Lullaby. The band isn't nearly as grinding and hardcore as some of their label-mates (Nora or 18 Visions). But then again, Trustkill is also the home of Open Hand (a phenomenal band) and Poison the Well (which, while pretty hardcore, has it's moments of melody and softness). I was familiar with the band prior to this release, but hadn't really heard any songs. I assumed the band's sound was similar to A Static Lullaby... there's a huge sticker on the front of the wrapped CD talking about Finch and Thrice ("If you're a fan of these bands, check this out...") ... I'm not a big fan of this type of marketing but can't really put my finger on why - it just seems misleading in some fashion. Victory Records had done the same in the past with the likes of Taking Back Sunday and Thursday to try and get more buys. It almost saying the band can't stand on it's own, so we'll reference these other well-known bands instead. And that's definitely not the case with Armsbendback - they CAN and WILL stand out on their own. The band consists of Andrew Kegerise on drums, Brad Sloan on bass, vocalist Mike Coasey and guitarist Carson Slovak. Slovak and Sloan also handle backing vocals. The band's sound is catchy and dynamic, with vocals drifting from melodic wails to angry screaming (but leaning towards the former); the tracks seem intricate and simple all at the same time. Coasey's vocals didn't appeal to me on first listen. The vocals seemed murky, almost waterlogged if it were possible, like there was a weird bass to it. But that was just a "first-listen" thing, and the strength of his vocals are what's rapidly making this one of my favorites of the year. Four of the five tracks from the first album were re-recorded for "The Waiting Room" at Big Meanie Studios in New Jersey (where Thursday has also recorded for what it's worth). The rest are new and the whole thing was recorded in eight days, a commendable feat given nothing seems rushed or off, and the disc probably feels a little more raw (in a good way) for it. "Hooray for hell if it's on the way." With those words Armsbendback opens "The Waiting Room." The opening track "Countdown to the End of the World," sets the tone for the album: driving guitar and bass with thundering drums and traded off vocals ranging from melodic rambling to strained screeching and screamed, hardcore punctuations. "Primera (Last Goodbye)" is a fantastic track. The song works great as the second track: it isn't quite intense enough to open the album, but a great lead in to the meat of the disc. The vocals are strong and Coasey's singing really shines, especially as he draws out lyrics like "This is my last goodbye" and makes them sound so haunting. "Trading the Silence" has some interesting back and forth vocals in it, but the music seems too monotonous. Definitely one of the disc's weaker tracks... but that's still saying a lot as it isn't terrible... just not too exciting musically. "The Arms of Automation" is one of the songs redone from the first album and is my personal favorite on the disc. The lyrics, seemingly dealing with spurned love, are great ("My arms will not take hold of you. Instead of giving up I wait."). The guitar riffs and drumming are fast-paced but deliberate during the song, while the chorus' music has a great catchy sound. And as the song comes to a close with Coasey singing "I've waited all my life for this," there's a sort-of sing-along scream in the background that still comes off as melodic. The drumming shines during "Terms and Conditions." The vocals seem pretty strained, but the bass and drumming trade off work well. This is another one of those songs that seem almost monotonous, but the double-bass pedal-work of Kegerise makes it worth while. "Garry Gilmore's Eyes" has a Helmet feel to it: the thick guitar start/stops with a driving, hook-laden chorus. "Radial" is more of a hardcore track, with an interesting start/stop during the verses. The chorus is more melodic and Coasey voice again shines. There's a great, almost hypnotic guitar line played through most of the song too, just a simple back and forth chord. "Watermark" again revisits work from "I'll Hurt You." The lyrics make the song come off like a love song ("I want to live inside you, just to see just what you see"), but I can't help but feel there's more underneath the surface. That's the great thing about most of these songs, they're open to interpretation. The verses are slower and melodic, with the choruses picking up energy and the vocals becoming more scratchy. "Dystopia" (the last of the previously released tracks) is just a great, slow brewing song with a lot of energy in the choruses and haunting feedback during the verses. There's some great drum work mid-way through the song too. "This Could Be" seems out of place on the disc overall. It has the thick, guitar riffs during the verses, but the tempo seems off for some reason... it might be the placement of the song so close to the end of the disc. There's some nice melodic singing during the chorus though. "Red Ceiling" is a slower, driving track... musically the song just keeps drilling towards something... but never seems to get there. But the vocals save it... Coasey follows along, ploddingly during the verses but really opens up during the choruses... and I assume he handles some of the hardcore yelling during the bridge which sounds great. "Red Ceiling" is the perfect example of a song that starts off boring, but hooks you in by the middle, and then by the end you're wondering why you didn't like it to begin with. A piano break opens up the last and longest track on the disc, "Apollo's Collapse" (clocking in around 7 minutes). It reminds me a little of the weird, Pink Floyd sounding stuff Snapcase puts out from time to time. There's some space effects, and Coasey sounds like he's singing a lullaby... then right as you feel safe and relaxed the track really opens up with the whole band rocking out. Of course, the lullaby returns to calm things down again... and the cycle continues. A nice ending to a solid album.

BIPOLAR DISORDER NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD: It never hurts to have friends in high-or in the case of ArmsBendBack guitarist Carson Slovak, semi-high-places. Slovak is buddies with Chad Taylor, one of the two Chads from Live, who produced ArmsBendBack's debut EP Even Though I'll Hurt You. With the addition of bass player Brad Sloan and drummer Andrew Kegerise, ArmsBendBack have become a real band on their first full-length effort, The Waiting Room. A scorching collection of driving, muscular rock, the disc seldom varies from the righteous path of post-hardcore. Singer Mike Coasey brings the bipolar, shrieking like any number of bellowing young men, singing in a soaring, adenoidal croon as on "Primera (Last Goodbye)," or overdubbed combinations of the two ("Watermark"). This approach, while hardly new, produces some compelling tunes, and it was either a stroke of genius or complete hubris for ArmsBendBack to title the album's best song "Garry Gilmore's Eyes." Problem is, for every winner on The Waiting Room, there is a loser, and the songs all start to sound alike half an hour into the disc. However, they do redeem themselves with the epic piano-laced closer "Apollo's Collapse," and from a purely musical standpoint, the band has potential, so keep an eye on them.

"More quality output from the Trustkill stable." 'THE Waiting Room' is a strikingly accomplished debut from Philly scensters Armsbendback, and one which melds complex time changes and unparalleled melody into neat, concise soundbites. Fans of Glassjaw, Billy Talent and Silverchair will appreciate the nasal qualities of frontman Mike Coasey's vocal stylings. And, equally, fans of Poison The Well, Thrice and Coheed And Cambria will appreciate the juxtaposition of ABB's compelling, haunting and anthemic melodies fused with their equally powerful, heavy riffs and powerhouse drumming. Lyrics wise, the songs manage to deal with issues of the heart and abandonment with a sort of resigned acceptance, without delving into the moaning emo clich�s that so many of their contemporaries dredge up (best of which are album opener 'Countdown To The End Of The World' and the sublime 'Primera (Last Goodbye)'). And, over all, the song writing is pretty damn advanced for a band who've only been together for a mere two years, and will undoubtedly improve with longer on the block.

Anyone who's whining about Embodyment breaking up doesn't have to worry anymore-- Armsbendback is a hell of a lot like Embodyment, but even more refined, with some screamy parts. This is the best non-hardcore band Trustkill has ever signed. The vocals are absolutely beautiful, and the album flows perfectly. Embodyment is really the only band I can even think of comparing these guys to, and The Waiting Room is a mix of catchy, slightly sad, very melodic songs with a slight dark undertone. There's really no category for this kind of music. It's one of those records that transcends categorization (much like Spark Lights The Friction and Open Hand), and as much as there's not a huge market for this kind of music these days, this band is incredible. There's no real solidified punk or post-hardcore aspect, but it's not quite choppy enough to be alternative or rock. The most impressive thing about The Waiting Room is the smoothness...the way the vocals blend with the instrumentals is extremely good. Despite the lack of classification, The Waiting Room will appeal to fans of all kinds of different music, from Boysetsfire to A Static Lullaby to Embodyment to Onelinedrawing to Poison The Well and Thursday. There's really no description that can do this album any kind of justice. It's amazingly smooth, melodic and beautiful.

The promotional sticker on this CD states that Armsbendback is a "crushing blend of primal emotion". Umm, ok. It then goes on to say that this outfit will appeal to fans of Finch, Glassjaw, The Juliana Theory, and Thrice. Despite the fact that it fails to mention the obligatory Thursday influence, the rest of the comparisons are basically on the mark. This Pennsylvania quartet's 12 tracks of melodic aggression fit right into the rock scheme of 2003, as it hits hard, yet contains enough tear jerking choruses and bitter lyrics to represent the plight of the nu teen everywhere. Sitting somewhere in the middle of the emo rock pack, Armsbendback aren't reinventing the wheel as much as they're getting good highway mileage over well tread ground.

If you were tired of emo before it was a term used in every Spin story than you might be getting tired of the "faux-hardcore" that seems to be sprouting everywhere. From MTV2's Headbanger's Ball to the mainstream press, the bands are everywhere. If I reviewed every disc in this vein that I received, you'd already have gone back to reading Pitchfork. ARMSBENDBACK definitely aim for the loftier edges of the genre where like-minded band's GLASSJAW and THRICE reside. Heck, it even says so on the sticker plastered to the front of the CD. Marketing aside, the group does a decent job at blasting out melodic metal with just a taste of hardcore. Mike Coasey's vocals have only one setting, a cascading wail that is present on every track. The prerequisite back-up screams are all here too. But the solid playing and production elevate everything a bit. Plus it's one of the few new releases where songs actually stand out from one another. While not as mind-blowing as SNAPCASE, these youngsters deserve a few minutes in the spotlight.

It's pretty obvious that the flavor of the month in independent music has been "Screamo." Recently, Philadelphia's Armsbendback released "The Waiting Room" on Trustkill records. Let me first start off by saying, that this is definitely one of the best albums released this year. The band mix a little rock in there, with a bit of hardcore all with emotional lyrics. They do it well enough that I was sold on the album by the second song. The band also does a good job on songs when there are parts of singing and then without hesitation, screaming lyrics take over. It gives all the songs a definitive identity, which could take them a long way. People who do not like this type of music will say that they are merely a knockoff band of bands like Glassjaw, Thrice, and Finch. But then people obviously haven't given the album a listen to. It is true that the band does nothing really groundbreaking on the release, but the band is still relatively new and are improving from their first EP to this full length debut. The bands strongest song on the album would have to be "Radial" mainly because it starts right off with a very slow direction, with Mike Coasey singing, but around the one minute mark, Carson Slovak's familiar screams come in and it becomes a very strong song. The singing to screaming that is done by Coasey and Slovak go hand in hand on this song. Unfortunately for the band, there are a lot of wannabe bands in this genre so this release might be overlooked somewhat at first, but they definitely can be said in the same breathe as Glassjaw, Finch and Thrice. And seeing how the previous bands have enjoyed mainstream success, the same could soon be said for Armsbendback.

Although the prominently displayed sticker on here annoints this band as for fans of "GLASSJAW, JULIANA THEORY, FINCH and THRICE," there's hardly a trendy, bandwagon-chasing sound to be found on ARMSBENDBACK's debut full-length, "The Waiting Room." If anything, this band builds up on the post-hardcore sounds of the mid-to-late 90s like ORANGE 9MM, QUICKSAND, and Long Island's INSIDE, where throwing in the seldom gutteral scream, when matched to chunky, slammin' guitar riffs wasn't "cute." From an overall perspective, ARMSBENDBACK display a very diverse showing of talent and influences. On some of the slower, more expansive tracks, I almost sense a SOUNDGARDEN influence ("Garry Gilmore's Eyes"), and when the band hits an aggressive peak, such as shown on "Terms and Conditions," the fortified assault features each instrument grinding deeper, sinking claws around the ears of the listener. If there is any kind of comparison to THRICE to be made, I can only see it from a percussion standpoint as both bands' drummers use double-bass in very tasteful manners, accentuating certain dramatic moments, versus going in for the metalcore overkill. A few of the tunes on here border on absurdly catchy, especially the "if only radio would pick up on this," second track, "Primera (Last Goodbye)." Even so however, the twelve songs on here feel virtually seamless, through the highs and lows of emotive grindstones. Ho hum...another stellar release from Trustkill.

The Waiting Room" is Armsbendback's latest release, released on Trustkill Records. I first heard of Armsbendback when I was at the Trustkill site and I saw that they had a new band so I downloaded some MP3s by them. The first thing that came to my mind was that they are very different than any other Trustkill band I've heard. I went out and bought the CD and it is great. It is 12 tracks of melodic rock/hardcore and it is one of the best releases this year. Their sound is very unique. They are mostly rock with some nice screaming in it. It is a very melodic CD, different from your everyday hardcore band. Mike Coasey's vocals on this album are great. This album has some very very nice melodic vocals on it. Most of the songs consist of melodic vocals and some screaming through out it. There are a few heavier songs on the album like "Terms and Conditions" and "Red Ceiling". Both of those songs are great because the music is much heavier and the vocals are much louder and more aggressive. I think that all the songs on this album are amazing. Armsbendback decided to remake a few older songs off the previous released, "Even Though I'll Hurt You". They remade "The Arms Of Automation", "Terms And Conditions", "Primera", "Watermark", and "Dystopia". I think that all the new version are just a little bit better than the old ones, even though they were always great. Some of my favorite songs on this album are "The Arms Of Automation", "Primera", "Gary Gilmore's Eyes", and "This Could Be". I like all of these songs because they are all very melodic and the choruses are all so catchy and emotional. "The Arms of Automation" is a very good song because it comes in with a slow guitar riff and very melodic beginning. This song sounds very emotional because the vocals are very melodic and it is a little bit slower than the other songs on the album. "Primera" is a very good song because it has, probably, the most catchy chorus on the whole album. The chorus is very good and it is like you could sing along with it. "Watermark" is a very good song because I think it is probably the most emotion song on this album. The vocals are very melodic and the lyrics are very good. "This Could Be" is a very good song because it comes in heavy with melodic vocals and get heavier as you go into the song. This whole album very emotional and when you listen to Mike's vocals in songs like "Watermark" and "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" you will hear how much emotion went into this album. The musical aspect on this album is very good too. The guitars have that grunge feel to them. At different parts of the album the guitars a very heavy and at other parts it is very slow and there are some acoustic parts on it. I think the guitars are very unique just because of the grunge feel they have to them, it isn't something you hear everyday on a hardcore album. The bass on this album is not too bad. They are not the best bass lines I've heard in a hardcore band but they are OK. There aren't any crazy bass lines but enough to get you by. The drums on this album are pretty good too. There is some nice double bass at different spots of the album. "Terms and Conditions" has a lot of double bass in it. Lyrically this album is good too. I like the lyrics at the beginning of "Countdown To The End Of The World", they are "Hooray for hell if it's on the way, such a good time for a test. How should I go? How should I do it?". Armsbendback's lyrics are not long on this album. "Terms And Conditions" is two sentences and they stretch it out into a song that's about 4 minutes long. "Appolo's Collapse" is about 5 sentences or so and they make it into a song that is almost 8 minutes long. All together this album is just amazing. It is much different than most of the albums I listen to but it is a pleasent change. I'd say this is one of the top 5 releases of the year. If you are looking for a very melodic yet heavy CD then pick up "The Waiting Room" by Armsbendback. I love this CD so much, it is just amazing, and I'm sure you will love it too.

Touring with the likes of Calico System and an EP having already been released, Armsbendback have begun to create an underground buzz as well as building a name for themselves, but with "The Waiting Room", they are sure to turn a few heads. If you've heard the band's debut EP, "Even Though It'll Hurt You", then you probably already know what to expect from these up and comers, but if you haven't, then you may be surprised at first listen, when you hear "The Waiting Room", because Armsbendback are not a typical Trustkill signing. If you're the typical close minded Trustkill Records fan, you probably won't like this album, for the mere fact that they aren't hardcore or even emocore. Think heavy alternative with occasional muffled screaming with a raw edge. It's hard to compare these guys to any other band, because they have a very unique sound and like their label mates Open Hand, they are breaking the mold on a label that basically consists of hardcore releases. Though they appear to be fresh musicians, Armsbendback are already on their second release, and seem to already be coming into their own. Their debut EP had a much cleaner sound with little if any rough edge, but "The Waiting Room", has a much more raw sound to it, not so neat and polished, but the band in their true musical form; raw, melodic and brutal all at once. One disappointment of this album is the fact that the band chose to re-do every song off their debut EP, which almost gives this full length a recycled feeling. None the less this is still a good album, and the new tracks the band wrote for this album are definitely their best to date. A true highlight of the album is the elusive "Trading in Silence" where the band is seen at their heaviest. Armsbendback have an immense amount of talent in tow, and even though "The Waiting Room" isn't perfect, the band is one step closer to the perfection they seek. Armsbendback may only be for the open minded music fan, or heavy alternative fan, but they show true bravery signing to an all hardcore based label. I highly recommend this album.

On the heels of the band's well-received five-song EP, Even Though I'll Hurt You, Philadelphia-based ArmsBendBack has released a smashing full-length that should be drawing some heavy attention. That is neither compliment nor criticism, just a mere observation, a well-educated guess deduced from a musical era that has seen such like-minded bands as Finch, Thrice, and Thursday catapult towards national fame. Much like those rising stars, ArmsBendBack skillfully combines emotive melodic rock with the crushing power and aggression of hardcore. To that familiar mix, the band also adds a refreshing dose of pulsating alternative rock in the vein of Deftones and Tool, which just might help to carry the band through to the outskirts of the radio-conscious masses. While I think that it will require at least one more effort for this talented quartet to peak, there are enough genuine moments of inspired pyrotechnics to make this one stick in the mind of listeners. When firing on all cylinders, ArmsBendBack brings as much passion and electricity as anyone in the genre, cranking out fierce songs filled with massive, driving guitars, intricate break-neck rhythms, and snarling sung-to-scream vocals that will set your blood racing and get your heart pounding. Indeed, The Waiting Room simmers with the sort of sincere emotional intensity that is hard to find and even more difficult to ignore. Working in conjunction with their ferocious energy is a dark and brooding atmosphere that flows continuously beneath this release and lends the songs a bit more weight. Tracks like the searing "Countdown to the End of the World," the turbulent "Primera (Last Goodbye)," and cathartic "The Arms of Automation" are well orchestrated, turbo-charged anthems driven by singer Mike Coasey's warm, effusive vocals and Carson Slovak's razor-sharp guitar riffs. The rhythm section composed of bassist Brad Sloan and drummer Andrew Kegerise is also extremely solid, pounding out everything from dizzying and dynamic post-hardcore grooves to quiet and melodic interludes with remarkable dexterity. The positively sizzling production doesn't exactly hurt things, either. The Waiting Room, however, is not without its flaws. Listening to the album in its entirety, the songs eventually begin to blend into each other without distinction in a sort of repetitive cycle. Nothing here is remotely groundbreaking; the band plays it relatively safe, not daring to experiment too far outside the boundaries of their chosen form. The album also lacks a defining single, one song that really captures what the band brings to the table musically. Like I said before, The Waiting Room is a stepping-stone, a launching pad that should see the band blasting off in the right direction. Whether or not it can generate enough momentum to smash through the stratosphere and into stardom remains to be seen.

Following in the footsteps of labelmates Poison the Well, Trustkill Records' band Armsbendback have released a debut of heavy metal and hard rock that produces pleasing results. Armsbendback could be described as a band that is very similar to Poison the Well, only this quartet flips Poison the Well's approach of a mostly heavy metal and some hard rock sound around. Since hard rock is the dominating factor on Armsbendback's new album "The Waiting Room," the album shows much diversity and could be described as a Deftones and Thursday mix. Containing the screaming metal lyrics, but focusing more on the hard rock side of their music, Armsbendback delivers twelve diverse tracks of harmonious and melodic metal. Many previous bands have failed to pull the melodic metal approach off. Only recently has Thrice brought the sub-genera back into action, and Armsbendback is close to that point. Not only do they pull it off, but "The Waiting Room" demonstrates smooth transitions from songs like "The Arms of Automation" to "Red Ceiling." The album begins with a heavy hitting track "Countdown to the End" which truly starts the CD's countdown to the end. Smoothly, "Countdown to the End" transitions into a light metal tune "Primera (Last Goodbye), where vocalist Mike Coasey uses an effective and commonly used style of repetitive lyrics to get his point across. "This is my last goodbye" are the deep and heartfelt words he mutters in "Primera (Last Goodbye) and they come off as truly genuine. This tactic is seen again in "The Arms of Automation," the records most outstanding track, when he repeats "I waited all my life for this" in a wonderfully harmonious fashion. Armsbendback has great potential of following in Poison the Well's footsteps, leading them to a larger label and more diversified audience. Not only does this band have the opportunity to draw metal kids, punk kids, and the average rock kids together, but they may also draw an even wider audience from guitarist Carson Slovak's light and impressive guitar solos heard in such songs as "Primera (Last Goodbye)." By the end of "The Waiting Room," songs like "Red Ceiling" and "Apollo's Collapse" kick the album back into a more heavy metal type of gear. But it is truly difficult to decide which element of Armsbendback is better, their metal side or hard rock side? By forcing the listener to make this kind of decision, Armsbendback has done what many groups and artists can do, mix two different genres effectively. I'm not saying Armsbendback is the next Thrice, but that goal may be attainable if they keep up the good work.

Here is a band who is bound to turn more than a few heads with this debut album of theirs 'The Waiting Room'. Hailing from Philadelphia this four piece deliver the goods playing a style that's become plain and overboring about as fast as it shot to popularity, these guys offer a shining light to the whole emotional rock/hardcore type genre. Adding their own touch and combining a bit more of a rock angle to their approach rather than the sing a verse/scream a verse pattern every second band seems to be doing. Musically they produce a sound that at times derives influence from the hard rock bands like Tool & Deftones then at times they take more of a hardcore influence, vocally it goes from singing to all out screaming but no un-necessary outbursts, they've picked the right spots to place them, even though the songs with no screaming sound ten times better, it's their unique approach that makes these guys stand out from the pack and for a debut release they've got off to a great start. Solid production really makes the guitar work stand out. Fans of bands like Glassjaw, Thrice, Finch and even Deftones should check these guys out.

As a person who reviews alot of records, there is nothing I hate more then when record labels put comparison bands on their CD cover. With Armsbendback, Trustkill put this quote on the CD "A crushing blend of primal emotion for fans of Glassjaw, The Juliana Theory, Finch, and Thrice". Couldnt have said it better myself! Now before reviewing the records I had to try to wipe that statement out of my mind and review it with clear thoughts. What I heard was alot of Juliana Theory, Thrice, a slight touch of Glassjaw vocals, and alot of the newer Haste material. In the end, "The Waiting room" is a record that glides across the ear. Armsbendback is kind of like going to a beer taste-testing convention. You can get smashed buy a number of different sins! The first track that caught me was " Trading In The Silence". Al, the thins that made Glassjaw phenomenal early on is apparent with this track. A almost soothing melody is struck buy Coasey. when the happy leaves, god awful screams bark with a Carl Seversonesque sound. Sonically, the guitars strum and pluck a fitting background to Coasey's angst. "Garry Gilmore's Eyes" is more of a rock track. but what appealed to me was the bands ability to write a big catchy chorus, without sounding like they are trying to. Does that make sense? Meaning, alot of bands sound like they are trying to write a big chorus, where as Armsbendback unleashes a heartfelt chorus that feels....well....heartfelt! A while back Trustkill tried their hand at putting out a mellower record. The bands name....Open Hand. To me there was nothing new to intake there. Thankfully, Trustkill found a light hearted band with alot to say, and a clue on how to write a catchy record. Tracks one through twelve is for those people that cant handle the annihilation of Nora, Most Precious Blood, and Bleeding Through with coffee. In other words, Armesbendback is the perfect band to be your friend during your non-aggressive moments.

The sticker on the front of this disc proclaims this to be "A crushing blend of primal emotion for fans of Glassjaw, The Juliana Theory, Finch, and Thrice." Okay, sure. I definitely don't hear much Juliana Theory in this, but I do hear well-produced emotional hardcore with some nice chunky riffs that border on metal-sounding at times. One interesting thing about the CD is that most of the tracks seems to have a feeling of space to them. The recording sound is uncluttered, leaving room for every instruments or every vocal to breathe. A very impressive accomplishment (since the band self-produced), and one that works especially well for vocalist Mike Coasey. Coasey has a fairly nice voice, neither given to anemic whining or pained screaming, but instead very full-sounding, almost like the bellow of a wounded animal (the way it should sound for this style). Good work.