Reviewed by Greg Sammons

Rising from the healthy, albeit pretty underground, East Coast hardcore scene are Strikefirst Records' newest recruits, Anam Cara. Formed by Octavia Fernandez, the former guitarist with Underoath, one of the star bands of the underground hardcore scene. However that experience guarantees nothing. Granted the guitar work in places was creative but vocals and drums are pretty run of the mill. Maybe the Underoath connection explains why Anam Cara is a little less scared than some hardcore bands to explore more melodic moments. For me, what makes a good hardcore track (although there are plenty of exceptions!) is how the quieter moments run. Great examples in the Christian scene come from Few Left Standing (RIP) and the Nodes of Ranvier. I don't feel Anam Cara carried this off quite so well but I see some reasonable potential to build on. The opening track "Clenched Fists Of Desperation" showed great promise with its intro, had a reasonable middle part, and finally showed a spark of originality at the end. But even still it seemed to sound like so many other hardcore bands of the Strikefirst mould. If the band find a little more originality, slightly more distinct vocals and combine it with the talent that already seem to possess, they might make a national impact. But until they do this four-song EP will mean little beyond the band's home state. 

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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