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July 2001 Vol. 5 No. 8
 
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Artist Ensign
Title The Price of Progression
Label Nitro Records
Reviewer Vinnie Apicella
Rating
Can you put a price on progression? Funny, what one person might think as "progression" could be completely opposed to another's. For instance, if we're talking "progression" for a Punk or Hard-Core act, it's basically signifying the death knell -- goodbye credibility, goodbye cruel world. Now then... "progressive" in the literal sense, well now we're into a whole other dimension of sight and sound. I know this is Ensign's second release for Nitro. I think the first one was good but without swearing to such a statement bold as that, I'll go on record to say that this one's probably better -- and that's only judging by what I'm hearing in the early going. They've got this knack for doing some highly melodic guitar stuff -- big on the almighty riff, high on harmonics and altogether catchy while sacrificing little in the way of catharsis.

They're an east-coast street Punk throwback for those in the know, very quick, maybe a wee bit angry and altogether breakneck. I'm getting a lot of Anti-Flag meets Anti-Heroes meets Anti-whatever the fuck else you wanna throw in there. Now to be sure, we're not getting bombarded with your average run of the mill Chuck Taylor all-stars with the crimped do's and a hotwire fetish for teen beat, this is pretty intense -- let's throw The Nerve Agents into the mix of styles while we're at it -- don't know why, just sounds like they fit. Technically they do, both are eager to do away with even the faintest semblance of human frailty. Okay, now I got it... Stretch Armstrong -- these guys remind me of them to a "t." or maybe the other way around as it were, who knows? But there's a highly agreeable mix of power, speed, melody and bleeding and buried vocals that'll have little problem inciting a riot in your audio channels.

Best of the lot in no specific or verifiable order belong to, "The Spark," "Black Clouds vs. Silver Linings," "Absolute Zero," and "Grasping at Straws." to name a few. Self-help they ain't, self-healing... now maybe that's another story. This should be pretty big time for these guys -- and rest assured Hard-Core purists and death before dishonor quarry workers, they won't earn a fuckin' dime!

 


© 2001 AMZ/music-reviewer.com
Robert R. Lewis


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