Bitter End - S/T 7"

Bitter End just dropped their 3rd record and second on Malfunction Records (subsidiary of Deathwish Inc.). Their last record Climate of Fear easily became one of my favorite albums of the year for 2007 as they improved miles from their debut release and really developed their own patent sound. It's hard to pinpoint but I would best describe it as Breakdown/Biohazard NYHC style crossed with a pinch of old Metallica and a unique sense of urgency and emotion brought forth primarily by the vocal delivery and lyric content.

The record opens with some eerie ass feedback that sounds like it came of a Cursed or Rise and Fall record. The beat and ring outs quickly come in and right away the guitars are hitting hard with the wah, I love this band's guitar sound and use of the wah pedal. The beat picks up and the vibe I'm getting from these riffs is one of more urgency and danger. If this were a continuation of the full length theme (which I'm told its not), it would be as if the world had swallowed it's self at the end of that record and this is the aftermath. Purgatory is constant movement forward and relentless double picking. Wasting no time at all with the guitar shredding. It's just really driving and intense and doesn't let up for the whole 5 minutes +. It's one great riff after another and just enough tempo changes to keep things interesting. The beat on the third track is a little more intricate and less of the driving feel is given off by this song. It's still cool and I haven't pinned down what's going on with the vocals yet. There's definitely more than just the lead singer on this track but doesn't sound too much like the backups done on the full length by their guitarist. Also, I'm feeling the slight guitar harmonies in the breakdown riff.

My only complaint with the record overall (besides its short length) is the lack of a prominent bass tone which is seemingly lost when compared to Climate of Fear, which had some great bass lines and a great bass tone.

Definitely check out this record. If you're not into grabbing it on vinyl, support them and pick it up on iTunes for only 1.99, it's well worth your pocket change.