Time in Malta

"A Second Engine"
(Equal Vision Records)  

The Indianapolis-bred trio pumps the perimeter of Prog/Punk on their full-length debut, following up their aptly titled late nineties' EP, "Construct And Demolish" which, analytically speaking, says it all. "A Second Engine" consists of twelve thoughtfully penned tunes raging with two fisted fervor and stepped up verses that offer a surprisingly catchy twist where previous peers fail to acknowledge, opting instead to arithmetize their angular abilities and contrapuntal finger work. TIM raises and lowers the volume as the setting calls for, inserting an odd sincerity with dignified grace-see closing epic "Grant's Stand" for direct access-where an outspoken lead track like "This Is Our Voice" cuts and slices sharp riffs consistent with the quick trigger lyricism, "What We've Become" or their cover of Chavez' "You Faded" subdues the impulse in favor of minor key melodrama. More often than not the songs come across as catchier than your average College-Core colonists who've made famous the idea of constrained rage packaged in a Pac Sun garment bag; and save for the recurrent two-string pull-off, this makes for that all important singular identity which is so difficult to come by when you wrap together pride and politics with piss poor playing and primal pleading. Think of 'em as Hard-core historians with a global-wide ambivalence to rival yer average state of the art Revelation bred revolutionaries.

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