After a great career in the South California skate punk world, Unwritten Law is back with their Lava Records debut. The previous release of “Elva” really gave to this five guys a mainstream success, thanks to the smashing hits “Up All Night” and “Mean Girl”. The Lava debut was actually “Music In High Places”, a solid all acoustic album released live in the Yellostone park for some Mtv series. Anyhow, after sharing the stages with the likes of Pennywise, Nofx and Lagwagon, the San Diego quintet did not gain the same success of hometown friends Blink182. While Blink182 were jumping on the charts with “Enema Of The State” and radio hits as “What’s My Age Again?” and “All The Small Things”, this band was releasing one of the most under-rated punk album ever, their “Self titled” disc. It was a all black record and it had awesome tracks: too bad not a lot of people realized how it was a great disc. So, I was saying, Unwritten Law leaves Interscope Records for Lava and release “Here’s To The Mourning”. Older fans will maybe be wishing that the good old times of “Blue Room” and “Oz Factor” will be back, but with the sixth release from UL, I can guarantee no one will ever regret the old days. The band starts with a new line-up, with the new drummer Tony Palermo (ex Pulley, The Jealous Sound); anyhow it’s not thanks to him that the music is still growing. The evolution of Unwritten Law is clear in any of their record, from faster punk songs about girls, to pop influenced rock songs with acoustic parts, electronic influences and more experimentation; and of course, Scott Russo’s unique voice that makes you say “hey this is Unwritten Law on the radio!”. Now, the new full length album is filled with good tracks: sofisticated, unique, original fusion of rhythms, pop and punk rock that every lover of harmonies and melodies will be able to enjoy. Still evolving compared to “Elva”, the new disc is more direct, fresh, pissed and darker: the fact that the guys worked with Sean Beavan (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson) and Josh Abraham (Velvet Revolver, Staind), makes “Here’s To The Mourning” a 12 track masterpiece of quality music, where you hear mainstream catchy pop tunes as “Save Me”, and even dancable pop punk anthems as “Hide Away”, filled with electronic beats; from the sweet pop notes of “Because Of You” to the hardcore guitars of “I Like The Way” and “Lost Control”, the record leaves no space for not wanting to dance along. An original disc, different and original, that has got the ambition to be the missing link between first 90’s melodic hardcore and modern rock for the masses.

One of the newest and most interesting band to come out on Solid State is surely SHOWBREAD. This band is a rocknroll combo of seven men who play something like the best posthardcore albums of the year 2004. Seriously, they took the elements of experimentation of Refused, the punk of The International Noise Conspiracy and made it great. Produced by Sylvia Massy (Tool, Johnny Cash, Prince), the record is a machine of never ending energy: from the first “A Llama Eats A Giraffe And Vice Versa” to “Mouth Like A Magazine” and “Matthias Replaces Judas” you can feel the energy, the fury and the raw rock of this band. Showbread is like a band from Sweden in the first 90’s that is coming out of nowhere and sees the light after six month spent in a dark room playing music. It’s an amazing piece of art and the booklet design ( provided by Asterik Studio ) helps to stress this record is incredible.

MXPX is back with a new release for all of the pop punk lovers. The big package is made of a DVD and a new audio EP. The DVD features more than half an hour of music, recored live at shows, and inlcuding songs like “Well Adjusted”, “Responsability”, “Chick Magnet”, “Everything Sucks”, “It’s Alright”, “Punk Rock Show”, “Move To Bremerton”, “My Mistake” and a lot more. The DVD also features interesting content, as interviews with the three boys, scenes of tours, and exolusive interviews. Plus, a sneak preview of the new MXPX album the band is working on. Not to mention, funny scenes recorded live. The EP instead is a five song disc with all acoustic music. There are two new tunes, “Grey Skies Turn Blue” and “The Silver Screen”, not to mention acoustic versions of “Invitation To Understanding”, “Where Will We Go” and “Quit Your Life”. The new songs are slower but very enjoyable, while the acoustic versions of older songs are cool, even tough the electric versions were better I guess. All in all, this is a good document on what MXPX is doing right now, and even tough I don’t like Mike Herrera’s new haircut and his ego, I quite enjoyed the music on this double packed album.

My personal surprise for the year 2004 has been TOWER OF ROME. I already heard of these guys, as they released a demo which made me turn into them, but their debut LP is something fantastic. “All is Lost, All is Lost, All is Yet To Be Found” is an 11 song album for less than 10 minutes, which means, it’s seriously fast !! The music of TOWER OF ROME is pure grind-core, made of super fast guitar riffs, screaming vocals and straight in your face lyrics. Songs like ” are genius, and even tough the band remind me of ENVY, but faster and more furious, these guys have got the talent to go on and keep on releasing quality music. On a side note, the artwork of the disc, made by Electricheat.org, is amazing.

I think that the last split I ever heard was something between Satanic Surfers and Ten Foot Pole, back when those two bands did not suck. Then I think I heard very few split albums in my life. And now, I can say No Idea took my interest for split albums and put it out. Yea, because this new split between New Mexican Disatser Squad and Wester Addiction is quite neat. New Mexican Disatser Squad, a band that released stuff on AF Records and was promoted even by Strike Anywhere, is a compo of punks out of Orland who play something like melodic 80’s hardcore with fast drummings, heavy and techical guitars and raw vocals. Recored by Matt of Strike Anywhere, their songs are fast and heavy as well. In particular, they play “FVK”, a cover of Bad Brains, which is really sick and displays all of the skills of this four piece for writing catchy music. Wester Addiction hails from San Francisco and the band reminds me of a cross between Swingin Utters and Ill Repute. They have four songs including a cover of Naked Raygun’s “Rat Patrol”. I personally enjoyed New Mexican Disatser Squad a bit more but I thank NO IDEA for bringing back my attention to split albums.

Suicide Note is back with a new album. “Too Sick To Dance, Forever Fucked”, the new LP on Ferret Music, is a disc of brutal hardcore, influenced by the likes of By The Grace Of God, Black Widows, Breather Resist, and the Initial Records and Jade Tree Records rosters. Suicide Note is in fact a strange band, a band you would not expect to be on Ferret, home of Every Time I Die, Scarlet, Zao and Killswitch Engage. The new disc is filled with hardcore anthems and rock’n'roll guitar riffs that have a great impact on the listener, leaving you breathless like if you were running fast toward a valley. Songs like “Lets Get Hit” and “Vultures” are pure r’n'r hardcore genius and I think no one should listen to this record while driving.

I guess I never liked The Dwarves. They’re really too much to me. But, on the new CD “Must Die” I found some funny songs to dance to. And even tough they still do not have a genre but play everything from gangsta hardcore rap to Ramones-pop punk, their new songs are quite ok. Alright, if you liked their older stuff as “Blood Guts And Pussy” then you will maybe get bored, but “Must Die” is still an enjoyable disc. Featuring guest appearences from everyone in the alternative punk music scene, from Josh Freese to Dexter Holland, from Nick Olivieri to Eric Valentine, from San Quinn to Spike Slawson, from Nash Kato to Gary Owens, this disc is filled with guest. But what about the music? The songs are catchy and dirty, and you will find tunes as the pop punk “Salt Lake City” to the rappy “Massacre”, which makes fun of Warped Tour bands as Good Charlotte and Creed. After all it’s just another Dwarves record, with three sexy chicks on the cover and with pervert lyrics. Have fun.

I am not very familiar with the Earache Records roster, but this UK label has got one of the best metal Euro band around today. CULT OF LUNA is sick. “Salvation”, their new disc, is not metalcore as the previous one, but it’s more metallic, slower and with longer songs. “Echoes”, “Vague Illusions” and “Waiting For You” are longer than 10 minutes. 10 minutes where you can hear noise, metal guitar riffs, silence and even more. Recommended if you like bands as CONVERGE, BOTCH, LAMB OF GOD and CULT OF LUNA.

The Fight is a four piece punk rock band from England who use Rancid, Green Day, and The Clash as their blue print for rock. They have grown up a bit since their 2003 EP for Fat Wreck Chords, but not too much; they still play the same bland, “three chords and swear” punk stuff. The band relies on the strength of their female vocalist’s snotty attitude and overall vocal strength. She’s much tougher than before on “Nothing New Since Rock & Roll,” but these guys need to hire a songwriter or something. The fourteen songs here sound exactly alike (although some of them do have an “oi” thrown in here and there). Overall, this is just basically cookie cutter Rancid stuff with a girl singing, and it totally bored me.

Malachi Constant is a four piece from Minnesota that kind of defies description and comparison. On “Infinite Justice,” they play sparse, almost entirely instrumental jazzy indie rock, similar in many ways to early Karate, without the vocals. At times, they also sound similar to Sonic Youth’s last few albums, i.e. S.Y.’s softer, more melodic side. Their music is well thought-out, and is crafted with strong musicianship; the band plays well, too, concentrating on the beauty of dynamics. They can crank things up and rock out, as they do on “Team Straight Up,” but they stick to tonal sounds for the most part. Fans of Sonic Youth’s output since “Washing Machine” will probably go nuts over this, as I am of fan of that era, and I totally enjoyed this Malachi Constant album!