A very very good album, although it falls short of expectations. I mean, come on! Let's all consider that this band is
made up of vocalist Russ Rankin (Good Riddance), drummer Bill Stevenson (those little bands Black Flag, Descendents,
ALL...), guitarists Aaron Dalbec (Converge, Bane, Hagfish) and Zach Blair (GWAR, Hagfish), and bassist Doni Blair
(Hagfish, Armstrong). I mean this should be the best f*cking hardcore band EVER. And even at this seemingly 50%
effort, they churned out a record as excellent as Virulence. The album is far more focused and heavy than To
The Nines could've hoped to be (although the first record is in fact very good). Their next album is what I'm really
looking forward to. It's a bit of a letdown that this album shat on Good Riddance's latest record, considering how great
Russ' voice and lyrics are here. A must-buy for melodic hardcore with a dissonant edge, not to mention absolutely
superb musicianship (especially Bill's drumming) and lyrics.
