In my lifetime, all 36 years of it so far, I’ve seen my fair share of bands come and go. Some were good and some were bad. Some were forgettable and a select few are missed. Nothingface was a band that I have always thought were light years above and beyond anything else around them: aggressive and at times downright assaulting vocals mixed with a gnarly bluesy clean singing. It was more of a deeply disturbing, haunting vocal than anything else. Matt Holt's vocal delivery was a thing of pure insane genius. It’s a shock that all these metalcore bands out there now aren't showing them more love. Tom Maxwell's guitars were so groove filled it was a wonder Nothingface never really broke larger than life. The rhythm section of bassist Bill Gaal and both Tommy Sickles and/or Chris Houck (depending on what album you were listening to) managed to carry the band’s sound to other-worldly places. I don't mean that in a psychedelic or trippy way, but more like a place to get lost in while driving in shitty traffic or at home chilling or doing house work. Out of all the bands albums, 1997's Pacifier, 1998's An Audio Guide To Everyday Atrocity, 2000's Violence or 2003's Skeletons, you never once felt let down. Every record was an exercise in either humility or left you choking on sorrow. Yes, they were that good. Can I recommend an album? All of them? If you're new to them, as I'm sure way too many of you will be, I recommend starting off with An Audio Guide To Everyday Atrocity.
The next band to have left their mark on me is Haste The Day. They came from a different place than Nothingface as they were a decidedly more religious-based band. They also started from a hardcore background. They played a unique style of hardcore that managed to mix the fury and passionate hardcore ethics with their religious foundation and never preached but were always willing to share that side with everyone. It was high energy. It was real. The transition from the rawness of 2004's Burning Bridges to the retooled but still raw sound of 2005's When Everything Falls only opened the doors to a more mature streamlined sound with the release of 2007's Pressure The Hinges. It took the triple harmonizing vocal attack they always used (see: 'American Love' off of Burning Bridges) and mutated it into this monster of epic proportions (see: 'Chorus Of Angels' from Pressure The Hinges), but through it all (including lead vocalist change for Pressure The Hinges) they managed to maintain their meaty but melodic stance. But as is expected, time allows any good band to get a tighter grip on what they want and where they want it to go. 2008 saw the release of Dreamer. It was a perfect follow up record that still utilized everything the band was known and loved for. 2010 was to sadly be the last studio album from these hardworking guys. It focused more on balancing both the aggression and the harmony, and they managed to pull it off brilliantly. The real attraction was their live show. Every drop of sweat, every broken guitar string, every strained vocal cord was 1000% as real as it gets. This was a band that loved what they did.
It's odd how both bands went through several member changes and both had fantastic 10 year runs as a band before calling it quits. There are several other bands that broke up that were worth a shit like Life Of Agony and Spineshank, but for one reason or another, these two bands just always have and always will hold a special place in my heart. They managed to make music that was fun and full of life without being cheesy or annoying. They will be and are sorely missed, at least by this guy. Do yourself a favor and give them a try. Who knows, you may find some gems. If not, go fuck yourself.
The next band to have left their mark on me is Haste The Day. They came from a different place than Nothingface as they were a decidedly more religious-based band. They also started from a hardcore background. They played a unique style of hardcore that managed to mix the fury and passionate hardcore ethics with their religious foundation and never preached but were always willing to share that side with everyone. It was high energy. It was real. The transition from the rawness of 2004's Burning Bridges to the retooled but still raw sound of 2005's When Everything Falls only opened the doors to a more mature streamlined sound with the release of 2007's Pressure The Hinges. It took the triple harmonizing vocal attack they always used (see: 'American Love' off of Burning Bridges) and mutated it into this monster of epic proportions (see: 'Chorus Of Angels' from Pressure The Hinges), but through it all (including lead vocalist change for Pressure The Hinges) they managed to maintain their meaty but melodic stance. But as is expected, time allows any good band to get a tighter grip on what they want and where they want it to go. 2008 saw the release of Dreamer. It was a perfect follow up record that still utilized everything the band was known and loved for. 2010 was to sadly be the last studio album from these hardworking guys. It focused more on balancing both the aggression and the harmony, and they managed to pull it off brilliantly. The real attraction was their live show. Every drop of sweat, every broken guitar string, every strained vocal cord was 1000% as real as it gets. This was a band that loved what they did.
It's odd how both bands went through several member changes and both had fantastic 10 year runs as a band before calling it quits. There are several other bands that broke up that were worth a shit like Life Of Agony and Spineshank, but for one reason or another, these two bands just always have and always will hold a special place in my heart. They managed to make music that was fun and full of life without being cheesy or annoying. They will be and are sorely missed, at least by this guy. Do yourself a favor and give them a try. Who knows, you may find some gems. If not, go fuck yourself.
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