BoySetsFire

From the opening moments of “Energy Dome,” it becomes quite clear that Snapcase have returned from a very extended absence (that included the band breaking up for a time), as vicious and metallic as they were on their last full-length Progression Through Unlearning. “Energy Dome” mines the same slightly discordant, vaguely hardcore, extremely metal style that made Snapcase one of the heroes of moshcore enthusiasts everywhere. Their other contribution is a cover of the Police’s “Truth Hits Everybody,” which is actually better than it sounds, becoming wholly Snapcase in the translation. Boy Sets Fire also contribute two tracks and even though Boy Sets Fire are an excellent band, they are once again victims of overreaching in their musical preferences. While “Unspoken Request” sounds radically different than “Channel,” it still seems as if Boy Sets Fire are torn between being an emo band and a metal band, while the combination usually works in conjunction with one another, having the influences separate and apparent only demonstrates the differences between the two and makes Boy Sets Fire seem like a band straddling the fence instead of a band transcending their influences.