Customer Reviews

New Lexicon

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In a scene full of dullards, hatemongers, and copy cats Paint it Black remind the jaded why they got into hardcore in the first place. Dan Yemin is unquestionably hardcore's best lyricist, and one of it's two best vocalists (the other being Pat Flynn from Have Heart), and he delivers the goods in a big way here. This album boasts easily the strongest performance yet from Andy Nelson on bass. The new guys on guitar and drums (Josh Agran and Jared Shavelson) don't miss a beat. I could not be more satisfied with this album. If you're a fan of hardcore past or present, and you don't own all three Paint it Black albums, you don't know what you're missing.

I felt wishy-washy when I gave this album 4 stars. I absolutely love this band. The only thing is is that this album didn't impress me as much as their first two. Despite this, I still love where this group is going and what they stand for.

Thumping bass, frantic, screeching buzzsaw guitars, and growling, screaming vocals: Ah, the soothing sounds of hardcore punk are still alive, courtesy of Philadelphia band Paint It Black, who have just released their third album, New Lexicon. In between the fiercely delivered societal rants, they throw in some new wrinkles of their own, including the ambient/noise transitions between certain songs. It's always good to hear a band carrying on the hardcore punk tradition, especially when it's done with the passion and intelligence on display here. Standout cuts: "We Will Not," "Past Tense, Future Perfect," " "New Folk Song" and "Shell Game Redux."

How this album landed on everyones top ten list is beyond me. Don't get me wrong it's not a bad album but it certainly is not going to go down in history as one of the best hardcore albums of all time.