The Honor System

The Honor System (2003)

Cara

If you are waiting for The Honor Sytem's new CD and you just can't wait until the full length comes out, then you might want to consider buying their limited three-song CD single, which includes "Moving Day," "The Sound of Sinking," and "American Math," all of which will also be on their full length which is scheduled to come out this spring.

From the sounds of these three tracks, The Honor System is still as unrelenting as ever–pounding rhythms, solid guitar, politically-charged lyrics, and of course Dan Hanaway's signature raspy vocals. I was pleased to hear that these guys have not watered down any of their music–they are just as intense as ever, actually I think they even sound a little bit harder and more driven (or perhaps more angry) than in their earlier albums. The 1st track kicks things off with a classic-System sound: quick tempo, driving guitars, a good track overall. The 2nd track, "The Sound of Sinking" has a little different sound to it than a lot of other Honor Sytem songs on their other albums, but I really like it. It has some great guitar parts, with intricate almost chromatic riffs and just solid playing throughout. It was nice to hear that they are taking some chances and putting out some new stuff that sounds different than "Single File" and "100% Synthetic." I loved "Single File" and I also really liked "100% Synthetic," but I was a little disappointed that a lot of the songs on "100% Synthetic" sound pretty similar to "Single File," just because I was hoping to hear a little different side to the Honor System. Judging from this 3 song teaser, the System is finally taking that chance and branching out a little bit on a few of their songs–while still giving us a few classic Honor System sounding tracks, making it a nice mix. Of course, this group doesn't disappoint in the lyrics section, with great lines like "Are these shining seas or shallow ponds? / When the oil drips from the devil's lips / Black tooth smiles sing it all." Great lyrics, great music. I am really excited to hear the full length. The System sounds like it has been working hard and is ready to really rock with these songs; I can't wait to hear what other new sounds they have in store.

If you are a fan of The Honor System, then you will not be disappointed with this three-song single, but I would only buy it if you really can't wait for their full length, since all of these songs will be on the full length, which is coming out in only a month or two. Judging from this little teaser, this new album will be worth the wait and I am really looking forward to hearing it.