When naming their latest record, Buffalo natives Every Time I Die might have been talking about the nasty showering conditions of Warped Tour, or maybe just about guitarist Andy Williams' massive beard.
In either case, the title fits as Buffalo's hardest rock band finally brings it back home to kick the ass of everyone in its path.
The band's latest release, The Big Dirty, takes their sound to the next level, both giving hardcore fans the grueling music reminiscent of Hot Damn!, while luring in casual listeners as they did on their last CD, Gutter Phenomenon.
Right off the bat, ETID spin kicks listeners right in the mouth with "No Son of Mine."
"Bite your tongue/who taught you those words?" sings Keith Buckley.
Its aggressiveness shows that ETID can still thrash after all these years.
And no worries, fans - the cowbell does make an appearance within the first half of the record in the song "We'rewolf," the album's first single.
Buckley's vocals return to the style heard on Phenomenon, with less screaming and more melody similar to the Guitar Hero favorite "The New Black."
Guitarists Williams and Jordan Buckley take the lead as the album progresses, producing some of the hardest tracks ETID has recorded to date.
"Cities and Years" has a slow start but finishes with a breakdown so hard that fans will surely leave the circle pit bruised and bloodied.
With drummer Mike Novak pounding in the background, Williams and J. Buckley lead a fist-pumping intro like no other band from Buffalo on the track "INRIhab."
Buckley's vocals return as he duets with guest vocalist Dallas Green, of Alexisonfire fame, on the hometown-inspired title "Buffalo Gals," featuring exceptional guitar work by both J. Buckley and Williams throughout.
Thankfully, ETID makes sure to end the CD in their own style, throwing "Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Battery," one of the toughest songs on the CD, into the mix.
For those unsure as to how the "Dirty" lyrics stack up against previous efforts, it is obvious by this track that they are on par with Buckley's. The song's poetic last lines accent his lyrical talents.
"It is better to destroy/than to create what is meaningless/so the picture will not be finished."
With a new record filled with dirty guitar riffs and even dirtier breakdowns, let's hope this Buffalo music never gets clean.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
