Record Review: Through Thorn And Brier - Good Grief 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

Through Thorn And Brier – Good Grief cassette (Baldy Longhair, 2011)
By Nathan G. O'Brien
I think there are a couple versions of this out there. Mine comes with a one-sided jacket that is black ink on white card stock, a red clear cassette, with a download card and a sticker for the label, Baldy Longhair. Never heard of the label but I like the logo, which is skull ‘n’ crossbones style, except where there would be a skull there is a guy in glasses who is bald on top with long hair on the sides. Not sure how I ended up with this. It might have been tossed in with box of random things sent to me for review that possibly contained the DVDs Circle Jerks: My Career as a Jerk and SpokanArchy! Anyway, I realize that none of this explains anything about the music, so let's just say this: metalcore with a dash of crust punk mixed in. Not always a great combo but not necessarily a bad thing either. Four songs that, with the exception of final one, all sound the same. Kind of the punishing and/or crushing (insert similar adjective) type of hardcore that “brutal” bands play. The aforementioned last song—“Old Dogs New Wounds”—stands out because of the dual vocals, and the plodding epic crust aspect.