Reviews

Boston's Have Heart are back with their second record. Kicking things off with the grinding "The Same Son," the band are clearly taking what they learned from their first record and expanding on it. Have Heart's unending intensity is something which easily amazes; listening to this record is almost like listening to a Boston hardcore band circa the mid to late 80's, when hardcore was just starting to get its sound back. By the time the band rolls around to "On That Bird in the Cage," their sound has clearly been defined by their influences, including - most likely - Bold, who's sound and style they clearly have been listening to quite frequently.

Vocalist Pat Flynn holds his own against the other hardcore singers out now and also wears his influences on his sleeve - Henry Rollins of Black Flag and Ian McKaye, the former most notably on "Brotherly Love," which is one the clear standouts on this record. The whole band is definitely onto something and it results in one of the best punk records of the year and one of the best bands to come out in the last decade, especially in the cookie-cutter world of punk.

The only complaint about a record this good is its length; at twenty-one minutes, there's a lot of room for more. Whether they thought ten songs was enough to satisfy their fans is debatable but I don't feel it's enough to get the whole picture of this band.

The closing song on this record, "The Same Sun," is a perfect way to end this thing. By the time it's all over, most people will be completely worn out by the album's intensity and this song's clashing styles of quiet breakdown and ferocious verses is the perfect way to round the album out. Keep your eyes peeled for Have Heart in '08!