Black Numbers recently released a split 7'' between Go Rydell of Orlando and Grey Area of Queens. I've been familiar with Go Rydell for a while, because pretty much everyone I'm friends with in Florida is in love with that band, and I love their album The Golden Age. Grey Area is new to me, but a couple of their members came from the late Warzone, a band from Manhattan whom everyone is familiar with. Both bands break their own style of badassery to the mix for this 7'', and fuck I wish I owned the vinyl.
Grey Area's half of the split is only two songs, but still surpasses the length of Go Rydell's side, which is three songs, due to the fact that the songs are considerably longer. Their style is like a more melodic take on the cro-mags, and a huge focus on hooks and excellent bass work. The vocals are really similar to Aaron Barrett, which makes it really weird that they don't annoy me. They're like the perfect level of close to Barrett, without being TOO damn Barretty. This band is full of scene veterans and it shines through admirably within their half of the split. The lyrics are a nice blend of being socially identifiable and personally applicable, and both of these sides seem to be flawlessly executed at the same time. The rhythm section is heavy with distortion while still having a clean, organized sound, and the lead guitar has the perfect tone to span across these songs. The latter song of the half, "Bliss", is extremely catchy and soulful with the vocal lines, and has been stuck in my head all morning.
While Grey Area's half is good, the split is really dominated by the infectious, riotous energy created and mastered by Go Rydell for their side of this release. Their songs are fast and beefy, while the vocals are gruff and snotty. The lyrics are politically conscious, but mostly in an inwardly reflective way. The band has the feel of Dagnasty or Kid Dynamite, if not even better, if possible, than the latter. Chris Scaduto has what'd I'd consider to be my favorite voice in the entire current melodic hardcore punk scene. I don't know what they put in the water at Florida, or how the water can taste so bad yet breed such awesome bands, but I'd sacrifice my nice tasting Kentucky water for some swamp water if it meant I could make music this fucking rad. I really hope they play Fest 10, because I need to see these guys live. I missed my chance last time around for reasons I forget...therefore reasons that probably suck, and that sucks. Fuck.
I really wish this split was about five times as long, because I don't think I could get tired of either side of it. Luckily, I have more releases by Go Rydell on my computer, so I can tide myself over in that aspect. But I don't know what I'm going to do to get my Grey Area fix for now...I guess I'll have to crack open my piggy bank sometime soon. Anyway, you should pick up this vinyl over at the Black Numbers webstore, or if you're poor like me you can just stream it over at the bandcamp page for it. Up the punx, bro.
-Idle
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