Two Toes Short

ADEQUATE 7 - ADEQUATE 7 E.P
Adequate 7 are a seven peace ska-core band from South Wales - Cardiff. They are as hard as the 'Gorrila Biscuits' and 'Sick Of It All' and as funky as 'Fun Lovin Criminals'. Theres not a single song on this 5 track EP as they supply us with high bursts of energy. The first track is normally used for a WALL OF DEATH at there live shows.......oh boy their live shows are something outta this world.'Two Minutes' is more of a straight forward Melodic Hardcore song. Everything on this release is great from the vocals, to the bass playing, to the guitar breaks, to the arrangement of the songs and great production. This release is out on Tom the Trombonists label (Tom is also in Shootin Goon, Cardiffs Ska Kings http://www.shootin-goon.co.uk). In the last month they havsigned to House Hold Name Records which is the break that they have all been waiting for! Defenatly worth going to see live and i stronly addvise you picking a copy of this EP up somewhere.

ALKALINE TRIO - FROM HERE TO INFIRMARY
Quite possibily the greatest thing that Chicago has produced everhas to be three piece, under-rated pop-punks Alkaline Trio. This CD though, has got them the attention they deserve. Featuring the mighty catchy singles 'Stupid Kid' and 'Private Eye', amongst a whole other disc full of strong pop-punk, highlights including 'Mr Chainsaw, 'Take Lots With Alcohol' and 'Armagedon'. But as with all CDs there's the expected bad songs as well, namely 'Another Innocent Girl' and 'Crawl' which both lack soul and energy. Apart from that though, this really is a great release. The only one bad thing about Alkaline Trio is, onstage they have the energy of a brick, although can still perform pretty well when they're fully awake.

THE ALPACINOS - THE ALPACINOS
'Fast Filthy Melodic Punk', is the motto of Scottish Punk-Rockers the ALpacinos, and it is also the perfect description for this short but sweet three track ep. Despite being the toughest looking band i've ever seen (5 men, all around 6 foot something, and mile wide shoulders etc), they are all really cool people, and also very funny, and the main thing is, you would think they would play 100% jaggy old school sounding music by looking at them, but they sound similair to Strung-Out, only with a pinch of Scottishness to them! The first track off this cd, is 'Cortina', which is the true ALpacinos song, with a soft intro with non-distorted guitars, and Eddy singing fairly softly over it, then suddenley it'll just burst into the verse, only in this song, until it gets to the chorus, they will play for a bar or so, and stop and go back to the un-distorted part, and with it's really catchy chorus sang with great power by vocalist Eddy, and strong backing vocals from the rest of the band, it's an allout great song, which would give any first time listeners to the cd a really good vibe from this band. The next song, 'News At Ten', is a very similair song, with the catchy chorus and mellow intro, and generally just another immense song. The final song on the cd, is a number called This Relationship, which in my opinion is the best song on the cd. In a way it's similair to the other two, only this time with very good guitar solo's, and it's also a varied song lyrical wise, as at times it sounds like an emo song, then the lyrics will become comical, which although it may not sound great, is actually very good. Another thing about the ALpacinos is that they're one of the best live acts around at the moment, so if you ever get a chance to go see them, I would strongly advise that you go, and buy this cd while you're at it.

AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE - THE WAR OF ART
Only three words can describe this band, American, Insane, and Immense! This CD combines some of the most brutal and aggressive nu-metal on the scene today, with pounding guitars riffs, heavy drum beats, and vocals that grab you by the balls (eh-hem), with songs such as opener 'Violent Reaction', and the insanely well titled 'Americunt', with more mellowed out songs, with occaisional non-distorted guitar, and deep, weird, shakey vocals such as 'Effigy' and 'Shutdown', and even songs that combine both, prime example being my personal favourite, 'All Wrapped Up'. AHC have came along way over the past few months, touring with all sorts of massive bands; Slipknot and System of A Down on 'The Pledge Of Alledgiance' Tour of the u.s, with Slayer, with Slipknot in Europe and Japan, and they have an upcoming tour of the UK with Rammstein, to name but a few! Overall though, they are just another addition to the already full up nu-metal scene, although a slightly more valuble one than some of the shite on it these days!