Philadelphia pumps out another quality band in Subpoena. Signed to Tone Arm Records, the imprint label of Arm The Pit, they’re busy cranking out quality thrashcore on their debut EP Thrashimus Maximus. Why thrashcore? Well, to me it has many sensibilities of good ol’ thrash with a hardcore aesthetic and recording attitude. Obviously they’re doing something right since they recently got inked to play a show at the famed Trocadero with seminal thrashers Venom and make-your-ears-bleed death metallers Devildriver. I can only imagine what kind of hellacious show that will be!
This disc made it’s way to me from John of Tone Arm Records and despite having no catalog number for the disc, it was a high quality pro-pressed disc. I also received a cool bumper sticker and pin because I love band pins! Liner notes and cover art are sparse lending to the DIY aesthetic I alluded to earlier. Despite being formed in 2003 and releasing Thrashimus Maximus in 2006, the EP definitely has a lo-fi mid 80s feel to it. Self-produced and most likely self-recorded, it doesn’t have that all too common 4 track frequency cut off problem that many DIY albums do. The whole album sounds full and has decent harmonics albeit I think the vocal tracks were given too much priority over the rest of the band. This is really where I think there’s a mash-up of thrash and hardcore going on. Much of the old school hardcore catalog put vocals in the forefront due to the nature of the lyrics while the music itself was sent to the back burner. While I don’t think this was all that bad of an idea, there’s some excellent leads and drumming that’s foreshadowed by Vinnie Kenny’s raucous vocal attack.
The EP starts off with the upbeat Time Stands Still. Quick drumming and crunchy guitars, it stands to grab your ear as fast as possible which it succeeds in doing. This was the first track I ever heard from Subpoena on their MySpace page and I instantly messaged them to inquire about getting their album. At the three minute mark comes an obligatory breakdown to get metalcore listeners interested. Track two, Jigsaw is where I feel the band verges from their peers and does their own thing. Melodic and head-bopping, the track has good leads and bridges. My real complaint about this track and most of the others is that the drumming is very formulaic and stoic, not varying much track to track. This too helps to pander to their thrash roots since most old thrash drummers were pounding machines. Jigsaw is another upbeat track with Vinnie Kenny’s scratchy vocals lambasting people for their ungratefulness towards life and in general. He sings about people who’re complacent with no real direction in life and that it’s their own fault and no one else’s. The track overall makes me want to 2-step and have a good time at the bar.
Track three, AUSIDIC, kicks in with more melody and a more ear-pleasing band. The guitar leads are well executed and cohesive and really set the pace for the song. Vinnie starts off the song with a blistering scream while Donovan Bolger follows him quickly with an ear-ripping solo which segues into an accelerando bridge with ease. You’ll find yourself bobbing your head until the breakdown hits right around the three minute mark again however this too segues itself into a progressive shredfest of sorts. While the guitar tracks around the four minute mark are more subdued than during the rest of the track, they really shine here more than the whole album. It really showcases the twin guitar mastery of Subpoena harkening a throwback to the 80s. The following track continues AUSIDIC’s progressive feel with a more pronounced vocal leaning as displayed just a few songs earlier. It’s another quality track smack dab in the middle of the album. The next two tracks, Antartica and The Truthful respectfully, intro with glorious guitar leads which lead into an utterly pummeling drum+bass blast to your ears. For both tracks, gone are some of the tapestries of common metalcore and hardcore and ushered in are some excellent progressive signatures. The whole album really picks up in originality and texture after track four, Camel Spider. When listening to this half of the album on my way to work, I found myself enjoying the ride a lot more with something with bite to it.
Overall the EP is eight tracks of great music even with the few trappings it has. I like the DIY feel the whole album has but then again, this can hinder the album since the self-production doesn’t really give the music the room it needs to breathe. But let me reiterate, while that hinders the album, it showcases a real love for the music because Subpoena can highlight parts of the songs that they feel are the strongest and deserve the most focus. I know this is their first album and it’s surely a killer but I have no doubt in my mind since they’re doing a show with Venom, Subpoena are going right up the ladder of thrashdom. And I’m sure they couldn’t be happier with their journey so far with Tone Arm Records and their awesome marketing.
Be awesome and buy the album and support artists that truly rock.
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