Killing the Dream

West coast hardcore devotees Killing The Dream are back to follow-up their fanatical hardcore release In Place, Apart with Fractures, yet another fiercely fast and heavy album that does have a few surprises for those who don’t think bands of this genre can progress. Title track "Fractures” starts off a little reserved, with a slowed snare roll followed up by light guitar harmonies, but quickly progresses to a mid-tempo pace that’s never been explored by Killing The Dream, then to a sudden bout of hardcore punk drumming. The speedy, ultra-aggressive KTD that much of the hardcore world fell in love with in 2005 are still very much doing what they do best on "Thirty Four Seconds,” which flies by in a two-minute percussive assault. Vocalist Eli Horner’s throat sears with raspy tones and moving emotion as he unravels over thoughts of people taking things from him he will never get back — thieves don’t take, they steal. Over the course of two records, KTD have aged and refined, like an expensive bottle of scotch, more than many of their peers could ever aspire to.