Garrison
The Silhouette (2003)
Scott Heisel
I reviewed Garrison's last release, The Model EP, a few months back and the best conclusion I could come up with was that the band listens to a heck of a lot of Quicksand. This is fine by me, as there are many worse bands to be influenced by.
But as Quicksand evolved into Rival Schools, Garrison has evolved their influence, as well - into Rival Schools.
Okay, so I'm joking slightly, although "God Is Not On Our Side" sounds like a United By Fate b-side, and "The Closer" reeks of Walter Schreifels' vocals and Ian Love's insane guitar effects. The five tracks on this EP, billed as the sister release to "The Model," are much grittier and angrier as a whole. The packaging is darker, the lyrics meaner, and the opening track ["Come On Die Young (No Seriously)"] devastatingly heavy. Plus, the CD does this cool thing where if you have it on repeat, the last track fades into the first track [think of the Rx Bandits' Progress for an example], so bonus points for that.
Basically, if you're into the late-nineties style of post-hardcore that has been kicking around since… well, the late nineties, Garrison should definitely be on your list of bands to check out. A definite improvement on The Model.