Damages contain ex-members of All Through a Life, a band we just reviewed, and if you read that, you should have a decent idea what goes on here. But only a decent idea--Damages really seem to stake out their own territory on this impressive 7" single.

Current and ex-members of Blue Monday, Circles and Keep It Clear are also in the fold here, and consequently there seems to be a little more straightforward hardcore influence in the mix. But place that upon a slightly disjointed noise rock foundation and you get these two well-done songs.

The vocals are scrappy and grainy, and there's even a part in opener "Gears" that sounds straight out of a Minor Threat spoken-word rant. But the songs nonetheless rage full of rumbling bass, frenetic but controlled guitars and muffled but charged vocals with articulately distressed lyrics ("A common vein, now distended and almost dry, has nearly disconnected itself and the gap between what we hold mutual grows"--"A Failing Cell"). It's dark, but not necessarily disturbingly so.

Solid start, and I'm interested to see where they take it from here.

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Scars