GOES CUBE

In case you're sitting around trying to put some sort of meaning behind this NYC-based trio's name; don't. While I will hint that it requires some creativity with an online translator, I feel it's best to let the two words stand on their own, as that is exactly what the 13 tracks on the band's The End Records debut do.

"Another Day Has Passed" is one of those albums that you just can't slap a label on and then toss on shelf. No, this bad boy is alive and breathing and refuses to sit in one place for very long. The first two songs alone show the band's ability to spread their wings and fly in a couple of different direction at once, while still maintaining a noticeable level of identity and integrity. Opener "Bluest Sky" roars in like a thunderstorm with guitarist/vocalist David Obuchowski's bottom-heavy tone and anguished shout and the energetic drumming of Kenny Appell (the dude pounds away like he's in a death metal band for a good portion of the album, yet does so without stepping one foot out of bounds). A seamless transition into the catchier and less angst-driven "Grinding The Knife Blade" proves GOES CUBE to be a group of very capable and multi-faceted songwriters. Horizons continue to expand on "Restore", where post-hardcore meets poetry and one hell of a mesmerizing chorus that sees bassist Matthew Frey (since replaced by "Iron" Matt Tyson) lend his croon for an unforgettable vocal harmony.

Even though several different spectrums are touched upon on the disc's first three tunes, that still doesn't begin to define what GOES CUBE is about. Hardcore-styled aggression and angular riffing drive "I Hold Grudges" and "Clenching Jaws" straight down your throat, while a more ambient and experimental direction, along with more crushing guitars and unintentional hooks, allow tracks like "Saab Sonnet" and "Champaign-Urbana" to shine like diamonds. From its crushing beginning to the culling opening moments of the title track, "Another Day Has Passed" is one incredibly well-rounded album.

A perfect fit for The End's roster, GOES CUBE have taken elements of art-metal, post-whatever and muscular hardcore straight to school for an end result that comes across as intelligent enough for the hipsters and meaty enough for the pit-mavens. In other words, while this is geared towards the HELMET and/or TORCHE crowd, the dude at the bar wearing the LAMB OF GOD shirt is going to find plenty of reasons to rock the fuck out as well.