Record Review: Traces of Empire - The Body of the Condemned cassette

This review by Nathan is an excerpt from issue #5 of The Soda Killers fanzine. We still have a few laying around. Let us know if you want a copy and we'll get it out to you ASAP!
-BNB

Traces of Empire – The Body of the Condemned cassette (Self-Released, 2013)
By Nathan G. O'Brien
This was sent to me with an accompanying note that said "(add note)" It was sent by David, who had been a consistent supporter of HDD for quite a while now. It’s nice to hear of a project from one of our regular readers. What immediately jumps out at me is the quality, or perhaps, lack thereof. Raw and under-produced, as demos should be, which equals total awesomeness. There is a sweet-ass breakdown near the end of the first track, “Dumbstruck” that is very typical of Boston hardcore. “Eyeless” is more on the punk-metal tip, with heavy riffs and a brief guitar solo. The final song, “Death to Illusion” is very much in the vein of contemporary hardcore; incorporating aspects of artiness, AmRep-style weirdness, and rock ‘n’ roll leads. There is a limited run of this tape, so track it down of you can. Good stuff.