Underminded "Eleven:Eleven"

The first time I heard Underminded, mp3.com was still a prime place to go for free, legal music downloads and the band played straightforward, hardcore punk. The next time I heard 'em, they sounded like Thrice with more breakdowns and I was quick to scream (in my mind, at least) "rip-off." It's been several years since then, and the California group, with Eleven:Eleven, has fully immersed itself in heaviness, rounding out a progression from young-and-pissed punk to crunchy-and-(relatively) detailed metalcore.

For me, it's Underminded's ability to convey some urgency and energy that at least keeps me listening. It permeates the rather familiar music and pumps it with life in a variety of ways, from gang vocals and AFI-inspired sing-alongs to the choppy, chunky guitar riffs and believable, socially charged screaming. If nothing else, Eleven:Eleven sounds like it's actually meant to be a heavy, intense record. That says something when so much modern metalcore is heavy for the sake of being heavy. Or for the sake of brutal mosh. Or for the sake of being hip. You get it.

Underminded ventures into busy, subtly complex rhythms, which sound Botch-ish at times, and regularly stops the chugging and battering for more accessible guitar melodies. "F.U.L.B.J." is surprisingly catchy, and it mostly stems from the melodic riffs (the mid-paced tempos and gang shouts don't hurt).

So there's some substance, and there's heart. It ain't particularly original, but it ranges from tolerable to good. Hey, it might be up your alley: Underminded - F.U.L.B.J.

Grab it from Uprising Records if you dig it.