4

4.5 (2 votes)

Artist: Unteachers and Grace & Thieves

Title: Split 7”

Label: Veritas Vinyl

Release Date: 07/10/2012

Reviewer: Steven A. Cosand

Tracklisting:

1. Unteachers – “Fear of Silence”
2. Unteachers – “Fill This Place With Blood”
3. Grace & Thieves – “The Wastelands”

I am a huge fan of split 7 inches. They’re short, sweet, and aren’t much of an investment. When Josh directed me to this record I was beyond stoked. Veritas Vinyl is a small label based in Colorado that releases and represses Christian punk music.

The two tracks from Unteachers are a little different from each other. The vocals on “Fear of Silence” in particular remind me of something like Yes or Rush, but they are distorted and gainy. The songwriting is fairly progressive, but upbeat. It reminds me of the old Arizona band called Contravene. “Fill This Place With Blood” is more along the lines of d-beat or thrash. It sounds like straight up crust with raw vocals reminiscent of Tragedy. There is even a little wanky guitar lead. These two songs are a good introduction to this band, but I would like to hear even more

“The Wastelands” from Grace & Thieves is another interesting rendition of raw crusty hardcore punk. The vocals alone sound a lot like the early Tooth and Nail band 90 Lb. Wuss or even a bit like Grimple. The song writing is heavy and simple. It reminds me a lot of both Econochrist and Dead and Gone.

Overall: I am a fan, but it’s not for everybody. I am extremely happy to hear Christian bands writing music like this. It’s a good change of pace to hear solid crust without the extreme politics or stench (blech.) I’m really hoping to hear more from these bands in the future. Stream it and buy it here.

RIYL: 90 Lb Wuss, Dead and Gone, Filth.

Click here to list all the reviews by Steven Cosand
Click here to access our massive Reviews archive with hundreds of reviews!