Procedure

Shift Pacific (2005)

Brian Shultz

Raw, socially conscious post-hardcore in the vein of early Boysetsfire from a former member of Thursday (Bill Henderson)? Yeah, Procedure have some pretty good things going on on Shift Pacific. It's far from great, but offers quite a fair deal to like.

While the band bills themselves as hardcore, they're full supporters of a distinct, gruff sing/scream dynamic, so I feel obligated to apply the 'post' prefix here. However, said dynamic never actually sounds at all forced -- rather, the production isn't overtly glossy and the vocals tend to be significantly burly; these dudes sound like they should've been at the forefront of the movement (and well, at least one of them kinda was). They can be melodic and emotional one moment ("Yet, It Moves") and awfully pissed the next (the appropriately titled "What the Hell," which has a genuine breakdown). "Drawing Dead" even throwns in double-time tempos, pushed by a good punk rock vigor; "Resight the Blind Eye" offers some poundingly fast verses, too. The melodic crossections of closer "Amber Waves" best brings out the band's elements that seem close to the abovementioned BSF.

Scattered throughout are some instrumental interludes (the near medieval acoustic ditty "Sometimes, You Didn't Want to Know the End," the haunting, electronically swirling "Within These Walls, We Will Outlast Them") which offer some odd "reprieves." If that's their intention, I think it's a bit unnecessary since there's enough of a dynamic running through the record where the listener is never really in need of catching his or her breath.

Plenty of regards to species survival and advancement are what the album generally depends upon; while the commentary appears usually vague, the band seems most direct in "In Loco Parentis," making specific references to factions like the FCC and Howard Stern to criticize media control.

Shift Pacific is certainly genre-blending and diverse, but I think a bit too much, really -- it seems all over the place and disjointed as a result. Still, I like what I hear, and once it seems the band is more comfortable in their skin the end result should be even more compelling.

Yet, It Moves
Death Imitates Art

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In Loco Parentis