Converge
No Heroes
Epitaph
Street: 10.24
Converge= The Locust + Godflesh + Starkweather + thrash
Many would agree that the pinnacle of Converge’s musical career so far is Jane Doe. It’s pretty hard to follow up a career-making album, but You Fail Me was about as good of a follow up as there could be. All of Converge’s albums up until now show some kind of progression, either a refining of tastes, as Jane Doe harnessed the raw power and loose ends that much of When Forever Comes Crashing was, or a turn, as You Fail Me was. No Heroes is a record of Converge referencing themselves. Rather than making an entirely new sound, or a refined progression, No Heroes is simply an amalgam of Jane Doe and You Fail Me. Converge is still at the top of the noise/hardcore/punk/thrash etc. style, but they only reached the bar this time, instead of exceeding it. The noise is still there, as are Jacob Bannon’s signature lyrics, and the first few songs are all under two minutes which creates a pummeling with no sappy aftertaste. The second half of the record shows some of the more “refined” Converge and it is the more interesting half of the album. No Heroes is a fine album, it’s just not the record-shattering effort that past albums were. – Peter Fryer

The Disco Biscuits
Rocket 3
Diamond Riggs Records
Street: 11.14
The Disco Biscuits = Talking Heads + Can – the brilliance of both
Rocket 3 is The Disco Biscuits’ third-set of a 2004 New Year’s Eve performance in NYC. Hence, not only is there this overwhelming Saint Nick festive-molestive going on for far too long (79:50—this means their entire set for the night lasted well into the three hour mark), but you can also hear the champagne and cheese influencing their sound: lethargy and complacency coalesce into a body fitting of the German phrase, ‘Böse langsam!’ What’s worse is The Disco Biscuits think they’re playing improv into the New Year during this hideously safe, deadpan marathon of obsequious romance. Moreover, ‘The Disco’ is nowhere to be found—“The Soggy Biscuits” is far more fitting. – Spencer Young

Disillusion
Gloria
Metal Blade
Street: 11.14
Disillusion = Red Harvest + Moonspell + originality
When Disillusion looked up the word originality in the dictionary they decided to take that very definition with a huge stride. In all honesty, every song on this record does not sound like the one before it. Some have industrial metal leanings some gothic and others are completely out there. There is a huge variety of instruments being used for this record. To actually pinpoint the sound of Disillusion is near impossible as they are un-typically all over the map in terms of influence and sounds. The vocals range from screams to deep gothic crooning to spoken word. If you are trying to find something that doesn’t sound like anything you have heard Gloria will astound, mesmerize and simply astonish every sense in your auditory range. – Bryer Wharton

DOA
Bloodied But Unbowed
Sudden Death Records
Street: 10.17
DOA = DOA
The reissue of Bloodied But Unbowed, which covers ten of the great DOA’s best releases from 1978-83, could come at no better time. Most of the album was recorded during the Reagan era, and what is more fitting than releasing it under the current imperialistic war lord of a president? Nothing, that’s what. Bloodied But Unbowed includes DOA classics like “The Prisoner,” “Fucked Up Ronnie,” “I Don’t Give a Shit” and “World War 3.” DOA has inspired three generations of punks, and their abrasive style and message for a “world so free” is extremely relevant today, maybe even more so than it was when it was first released. – Jeanette Moses

The DT’s
Nice ‘N’ Ruff
Get Hip
Street: 09.19
The DT’s = Tina Turner + Kathleen Hanna + Von Bondies
The DT’s, I think, should be better than they actually are. Or maybe Von Iva, The Bellrays and The Gossip have spoiled female-fronted soul bands for me forever, because ... let’s face it. No one has done 21st-century indie soul better than them. The DT’s staid trucker blues riffs possess enough energy to shake your booty, but the lyrics hockey around over-hashed phrases that cover: “You ain’t no good,” “I’m crazy ’bout you,” “Gonna get you back, baby.” The trumpets in the chorus of “Driving Wheel” were a flavorful, spicy addition. The DT’s could pass for soopah-charged garage headliners at a CMJ showcase, or they could pass for the regular Friday-nighters at some godforsaken watering hole somewhere between El Paso and San Anton’. In other words, they’re not special enough for you to tell if they’re special or not. –Rebecca Vernon