Grade  "Headfirst, Straight To Hell"   (Victory Records)
     I've never heard anything from Grade that I didn't enjoy immensely, and they are keeping the trend going with "Headfirst, Straight To Hell".  Grade defies the normal boundaries of

Order It From:  Insound  -  CDNow
MP3:  "Little Satisfactions"
Band Website:  www.grade.net

The Minus Tide  "The Rock Autopsy Has Begun"   (Factory R)
     I had no doubt in my mind that The Minus Tide would rock when I first heard about them, and rock they did.  The Minus Tide is made up of the remaining members of Killed At Camp and Horns To The Matador; 2 of Wheeling, WVs best rock/indie bands.  What I didn't expect from The Minus Tide was for them to be so heavy.  These guys have a technical metal sound with a rock and roll show.  It's something to experience for yourself, trust me.
     The Minus Tide is made up of a seriously talented group of individuals with a great song writing ability.  A lot of bands are incredibly talented and can't write good songs to save their lives, but these guys can do both.  The unpredictability of each song is something else to take note of.  Normally in "metal" or "hardcore" bands you can tell when a breakdown, fast part or sing along is coming, but just when you think it's going to to be there, they hit with something totally different.  Dallas' vocals are screechy and insane, which is something you would never expect when you talk to him.  The lyrics are also about as strange as anything I've heard.  I'd like to read explanations of each song, but that's something to tackle later on.   (DW)

MP3:  "fist, stick, knife, gun..."
Band Website:  www.geocities.com/theminustide
Label Website:  www.envy.nu/factory/

69 Fingers  "69 Fingers - EP no. 1"   (Independent)
     If I've ever seen or heard a band that knows how to have fun with their music, it's 69 Fingers.  There aren't a lot of ska bands that really catch my eye/ear, but these guys always prove to make me laugh and get me singing along.
     After 2 self-booked and self-financed tours of the east coast and midwest, an independent full length release, this EP and another EP soon to follow, 69 Fingers is one of the hardest working bands I've ever encountered.  I've never seen them live or heard one of their CDs that I wasn't whistling the horn lines afterward.  You may have seen them out with The Know How, Bloodjinn or Cooter, or one of the hundreds of other shows they have played all over.  If you have, you already know that from pies in the face to enormous pile-ons, their main goal is to have a good time and rock as hard as they can.   (DW)

MP3:  "artists.mp3s.com/artists/202/69fingers.html"
Band Website:  69fingers.8k.com/

Thirty Pieces Of Silver  "Judas Didn't Sell Out...  He Bought In"   (Independent)
     These guys rock, plain and simple.  They remind me a lot of Death By Stereo or Schoolyard Bully and that's quite a compliment in my book.
     The music is fast, catchy and tons of fun to dance to.  Just when you least expect it, they hit you with a straight, throwdown dance part and the vocals go crazy, then just as quickly as it came, it's gone and back into the melody.  If you listen really hard, it sound like they are influenced by Stretch Arm Strong quite a bit as well.  Now I can't wait to see these guys live.   (DW)

Band Website:  www.piecesofsilver.com

Fade To Fall  "Still Becoming Apart"   (Independent)
     Charleston, WV's Fade To Fall give a second helping of their punk influenced rock n roll with "Still Becoming Apart."  In this CD the band sounds more mature and have definitely developed a greater song writing ability, and the songs are quite a bit catchier to boot.
     From the halls of small town called Nitro, in a local high school, Fade To Fall was born from 3 friends who felt the desire to start a rock band.  Greg McGowen, Ryan Ware, and Kabeer Shah all came together to bring a poppier side of rock to an area where bands like this are virtually nonexistent.  After being together a while, they have really come a long way in achieving their goal, and it seems like a lot of people are taking notice.  From Greg's shakey, but unique (like he taps his foot while singing), vocals to the punchy rhythm section that Kabeer and Ryan provide, these guys are getting better and better, and they are still striving to do more.  Keep an eye out for these guys because you'll be hearing from them soon.   (DW)

MP3:  "artists.mp3s.com/artists/103/fade_to_fall.html"
Band Website: www.fade-to-fall.com

Outline  "A Boy Can Dream"   (Triple Crown Records)
     Outline bring a grittier sound to the world of indie rock with "A Boy Can Dream".  This New Jersey melodic/punk/hardcore quartet may be new to you, but they've been tearing the scene up since 1998, starting out with basement shows in their home state.  Now, 3 years later, Outline has shared the stage with everyone from Kid Dynamite to Saves The Day and A New Found Glory.
     Their live show is also something to behold from the speaker dives to the pummeling of body parts into the floor.  So, who is this Outline you ask?  If you don't know already, you will very soon.   (DW)

Order It From:  Insound  -  CDNow
MP3:  "Passing Her Life By"
Label Website:  www.outlinemusic.com

Various Artists  "Ears To The Ground Vol. 2"   (Burning Records)
     Sometimes compilation CDs are harder to review than any other material we receive, especially when the comp. covers so many different bands.  "Ears To The Ground Vol. 2" covers 19 different bands from pop to punk to rock to metal to hardcore.
     This is the best way to familiarize yourself with the great lineup of bands that Burning Records has on their roster.  It's also good for those who already know the Burning Records family as it gives us a lot of unreleased material, demo material, and exclusive new tracks.  Bands that stick out in my mind are Vessel (who would appeal to fans of old Earth Crisis), The Logan Wish (this is about as emo as it gets), Decree (can you say "Cannibal Corpse"?) and Peacekeeper (just because they rock).  All the bands on here are awesome in one way or another, so my suggestion to you is to head on over to burningrecords.com and get to business.   (DW)

Order It From:  Insound  -  CDNow
MP3:  "www.burningrecords.com/onlinestore/downloads.html"
Label Website:  www.burningrecords.com

Various Artists  "The Underground"   (Most Wanted Records)
     "The Underground" features fourteen tracks of rap/rock/metal bands from all around the US.  It opens with Minus Mat doing a song that sounds so much like the Deftones that if I didn't know better, I would say it WAS the Deftones.  A band called Vent brings a great song called "One Small Choice", and a slew of other bands that sound just like a lot of radio metal bands today.
     For the serious collector, "The Underground" features unreleased tracks by Papa Roach and Alien Ant Farm.
     Most Wanted Records usually releases rap music, not rap-metal.  Although it's a great effort for such a popular style of music, it's also a style of music that is overdone and cliché.  In fact, like I said before, there's not one band on here that doesn't sound like Korn, the Deftones or one of the other big name rap-metal bands.   (DW)

Order It From:  Insound
Label Website:  www.mostwantedempire.com