This first disc by Redford, MI-based Ten Ton Diesel Head begins with a stomp-core groove that's as sluggish as a lumbering brontosaurus, then speeds up gradually, culminating in the chant of "Put down your weapon and fight like a man!". Throughout the rest of the slightly-less than half-hour CD, the confrontational mood doesn't let up, and neither does the groove; at times plodding, at times hectic, and continuously menacing. I'm not sure quite how, but Ten Ton is one of the few bands in hardcore (signed or unsigned) that can create breakdowns so slow you've got time to go get a beer between one riff and the next, and somehow make it work.'Don't Dwell' takes a more traditional hardcore approach, recalling Agnostic Front or early Sworn Enemy. Don't expect any song to stay where it started with these guys, though, because the breakdown at the two-minute mark (2:01-2:44 to be exact) alternates between near-death metal bursts and bone-jarring stomp. TTDH ain't done with you yet, not by a longshot. Not even so far as this song is concerned. The silence at 2:45-2:49 does nothing but build intensity, and when Joe screams "No way out!", you're very fucking sure he means it. The last lines of 'Don't Dwell' should be the hardcore national anthem. "There's no way out of our life! There's no way out of our head". Would that metal bands could pick up on the sense of family, unity, and pride that true hardcore still holds close after over 20 years on the fringes.Mid-album track 'Etched In Stone' and 'Your Own Consequence' are tailor-made for the circle pit. Ten Ton is a live band more than anything else, so to get an accurate representation of the power of TTDH, I took my surround-sound system, and cranked it. The bill for a new roof is in the mail, guys. And thanks for the new skylight! In all seriousness, in a live setting, this band could punch holes in space. 'Housed Inside' is pure Ten Ton Diesel Head, the 20-car pileup that is Blake, Ryan, and Dave laying down a shifting bedrock for Joe's more-grind-than-hardcore vocals.Buy the disc, for sure. For fuck's sake, though...see this band live at all costs!
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