Swordswallower is the debut EP from this Brooklyn, NY-based band, and what a fine debut it is. Sonically, Tournament wouldnt be out of place on the Dischord roster. Their music contains rawness and anger, which can catch you off guard. Songs like "Paid In Full are both rocking and angry-as-hell, while "Traveler sees the band slowing things down a bit for a darker sound akin to bands like Pissed Jeans. If Swordswallower have any faults its the brevity of the record. Tracks like the brooding "Nightlion and its back-and-forth vocal delivery will make you want more than the five songs contained here. Hopefully a future full-length is on the way and it will be able to live up to the expectations these tracks have established. A tall order, indeed.
(Trip Machine Laboratories)Tournament
Swordswallower
BY Ty TrumbullPublished Apr 27, 2008