LAST CALL

Troy, New York's LAST CALL formed a decade ago and until receiving the new full-length, "Good Times…Bad Blood", I'd never read or heard a single thing about the band. Though I can't say that missing out on the group's development these past 10 years has scarred me deeply, I can comfortably recommend "Good Times…Bad Blood" for any fan of metallic hardcore (metalcore does not really fit here) in the vein of PRO-PAIN. Take Ralph Renna's Meskil-like vocal delivery, the occasional SLAYERisms of guitarists Boonie and Grant Matot, and a thrashed-up East Coast hardcore vibe, and what you get are 10 tracks of tough-guy stomp with just enough melody to make many of the songs relatively memorable.

The band's more-metal-than-hardcore aesthetic is not fully unleashed until the third track, "God Can't Hear". The first couple of tracks, "Broken Promises" and "Through Hollow Hands", do have a little PRO-PAIN crossover thing going on, and the riffing on both songs has a thrash tinge to it. But it is when the up-tempo buzz-saw riffing of "God Can't Hear" hits that the thrash element reveals itself. Renna's commanding bark will always give the songs a hardcore feel, but there is more going on guitar-wise than simple hardcore slugs to the gut (though there is a good bit of that as well). "God Can't Hear" also sports the album's most memorable line — presumably about revenge for a wrongful death — in "this time…your god's gonna sit this one out!" The stomp and circumstance continues on "Once Divided" and "Rusted Gates", both NYHC tough with a sharp metallic edge. Metal-style guitar solos on "I Thee Bled" and "Battered Heroes" add even more flavor. Along similar lines, album-closer "Wings of the Northforce" not only includes a solo, but guitar harmonies, including a slightly MAIDEN-esque twin-lead part, and a catchy chorus. A SLAYER breakdown lick toward the end is thrown in for good measure as well.

With so many bands referring to themselves as "hardcore" or "thrash" as more of a fashion statement than a declaration of allegiance to all that is heavy, it is nice to hear a band like LAST CALL that at least sounds convincing. Mostly above average, if unoriginal, songwriting doesn't hurt either. I doubt you'll find these guys wearing eyeliner and girly pants. As always, check out some MP3s, but "Good Times…Bad Blood" is a pretty safe bet.