Twenty three minute CD showcasing three up and coming bands on Aberdeen's Foyer label, each band with two tracks to show for their troubles. My Downfall open proceedings with a roaring slice of early FFAF-esque hardcore and, despite a production that does not exactly bring the best sound out of the drums, catches fire if turned up loud enough, the vocalist's angst rising above the maelstrom as the guitars and bass blast out. The second track, 'Trust Is Weakness' brings the vocal right upfront but then seems to submerge the instrumentation as a result. This gives it an even rawer feel, as the guitars catch fire at last alternating between that and chiming guitar chords on the more 'sedate' passages. But all this then roars to a thunderous finale, the final signs of chiming guitar chords heard above the powerul riffing and now hollered vocals. All in all, sounds home-produced and raw but has a charm and is a good first step for a promising band.
The first track from Ruinous, 'No Memories Of The Soul' is altogether more thrash oriented, with an even tinnier sound to the drums and a vocalist on top of the mix as the track rages via a burning bass-led passage to a searing guitar lead and a storming end. 'The Crystal Maze' is similarly paced, opens with an instrumental salvo of guitar riffing as the song enters and a combination of growling and yearning dual vocalists do their stuff. The most enjoyable track on the EP so far and quite a gem.
The Extract have by far and away the best production and sound on here, and open up with 'Move', a sea of riffing guitars in a sort of seventies post-punk vein introducing the song as a vocalist with a voice drier than a ship's biscuit yet fitting perfectly in the context of the musical rage that roars into life as the buzz-saw and riffing guitars provide the meatiest guitar sound on the EP so far with a rising and falling lead guitar that equally saws into your head. 'Wolves' from them is slower and chunkier, this time the guitars kept initially to a sea of ebbing and flowing guitar riffs as the voice enters, intones and the guitars gather steam, propelled by some strong rhythm work. A couple of great songs that are somewhere between indie and rock, but you try and categorise this one, pigeon-holers!!
Overall, a worthy shot, a good first step but needs a lot more than this to rise above the masses.