Knowledge (Apparently) Isn't Power

Artist: Halfway to Hell Club

Album: Knowledge is Curse

Release Date: May 18^th

Record Label: Self Released

The debut EP from Long Island's own Halfway to Hell Club is a breath of fresh air in what can sometimes appear to be a stagnant local music scene. Hailing from Lindenhurst, these guys are best portrayed as The Anniversary being involved in a train wreck with the Bouncing Souls while Jawbreaker was standing in the crosswalk (they've also drawn comparisons to Hot Water Music, but saying that just isn't as fun). An amazing fusion of so many styles that you can't help but be impressed at how well they pull it off. If you want to be a stickler, we can go with "melodic hardcore" but those boundaries are definitely transcended in this release.

The initial track "Dearly Devoted" is a perfect set up for what is about to come. With an incredibly catchy guitar line that grabs your attention from the get go. The singer, Roy, has an incredibly unique voice that you can not help but appreciate and I'm sure someone, someday, will try to emulate. Lyrically, I absolutely love this band. They don't drop the typical cliche lines that one expects from this genre, they do have good one liners, but they're delivered so well you don't feel like a 13 year old girl while singing along to them.

The third track on this album "What a Surprise" is easily one of the best songs I've heard from any local band this year. Clocking in at just under two minutes, this song is the perfect example of the aforementioned hypothetical train wreck. Roy, once again, impresses with his impeccable delivery of the lyrics at key moments in the song that will most certainly give you chills. If you aren't entirely captivated by this song, then it simply means you have gone the way of Steve Irwin and have not realized it yet. Maybe Haley Joel Osment can help you.

The fifth song "White Collar Zombie" is precisely what I love to see. A band that has a unique sound and delivers a clear message. As quality as the musicianship of this band is, especially during this song, the point comes across loud and clear: We're hardcore kids, we love it, we live for it, and that's the way it is. Money or not, fame or not, this is what we want. This will have every fan of hardcore nodding their head in agreement and maybe even get a smile or two out of them because of the overall uplifting tone of the song.

This band is not signed yet. Why? Because this is their first release and they haven't had much exposure outside of the Long Island scene. If they continue on this path and manage to hop in a van to take a little tour of a few other states, their fan base will certainly grow exponentially. This EP is not available in stores (except possibly Looney Tunes, but their stock is limited), you can, however, visit their MySpace and message the band so that you can arrange to acquire it. This is your advanced warning: Get into this band immediately before they realize their potential and blow up, and then you'll just be some loser on the bandwagon, and we all know nobody wants to be that guy.