What We Hate

No Harm Done - Escape

“It doesn’t have to be this way, we can break tradition. Change our way” – Track 7, "Tradition"

Florida’s melodic hardcore band, No Harm Done, have collected a decent amount of praise (from message boards to AP Magazine) for crafting memorable melodies and technical jams for being at a young age. Sorry to tell ya: You can’t be young forever, and that alone can’t justify lack of originality, especially on your third release. And to be quite honest, No Harm Done’s new record Escape is pretty bland.

But when I say “bland”, I don’t mean it isn’t enjoyable. The second track, “I Decline”, abandons the whole Lifetime instrumentation/less-nasally Jordan Pundik (see Tip of the Iceberg) formula seen on the record for a pretty unique cut filled with above par harmonies and open stringed leads. Moreover, the more hardcore-tinged “Welcome to Florida”, ends with a powerful breakdown after some great “woah oh”s.

Unfortunately, many of the songs come DANGEROUSLY close to filler and DANGEROUSLY close to another pop-punk influenced “hardcore” band… or rather just pop-punk (yes, Set Your Goals isn't hardcore, get over it). So in relation to the preceding quote, they have not done much to break from the traditional techniques of the trend…

And it wouldn’t kill to have some yelling.

(Think Fast, 2008)

THE FEST 7 promo poster

This isn't the official lineup and tickets still aren't on sale (which seems weird, I could've swore Fest 6 tickets were on sale before August 1 last year) but here's a little something that might make the areas around your nether regions moist.

Holy. Fucking. Shit. So. Stoked.

By the by, you can expect WWH to roll mad deep into Gainesville this year. Photos, videos, recaps, we'll have it all while amazingly still finding time to drink a shitload, too. Scout's honor.

Stay Sharp - Four Songs

With the appropriately named Four Songs EP, Philadelphia's Stay Sharp show a ton of promise with ample amounts of passion and energy woven into their sound. It's a sound, by the way, that's been done and redone many times over, but when executed properly this brand of anthemic East Coast hardcore is reliably enjoyable. The frills are minimal here, and the boys in Stay Sharp keep it brief, hard-hitting and well, sharp.

More words and streaming music after the jump.