Ahhhhh, the New York hardcore scene. As volatile as it is colorful, it has its ups and downs just like Dorney Park. What I really love about the scene is that you have so much talent in such similar zip codes, there just has to be some needles in that haystack. Enter BLEED FOR ME. I thought that this was gonna be one of those rap/hate/emo core bands, but alas, wrong again. I think it was the listing in the liner notes of the word "sampler" that threw me. I'm thinking STINKIN PARTS or PUDDLE OF POO, and these guys stand poised to take over the world. I was surprised to hear the guitars tuned in standard pitches, using standard string gauge (as opposed to boat anchor cable so's they can tune into frequencies that only dogs and Fred Durst can hear). These tunes rock with some good old thrash type guitar sounds, complete with crushing riffs, sizzling lead work, and drums that could find a job making the dead rise. Jay's vocals could peel the paint off of walls, or help clean that coffee pot that has been on all day, shouted, not stirred. This thing is FAT and MEAN. The more I listen, the harder it hits. The production is clear, the heady use of cymbals separates them from many other HC-styled bands. There are even a few solos here for the purists. Altogether here we have 10 songs of brutal destruction running through your brain 'till it hurts. Tracks like the TOOLesque instrumental "My Thoughts Light Fires in Your Cities" make you think, "Is this just an average hardcore band?" The answer is a resounding NO! Parts of "Composition" remind me of German thrash, part hardcore, part power-prog. Shit, who cares. It's AWESOME. Proof positive that there is great music left out there to be created, and enjoyed. Buy it, you'll like it.You have the MECHANIC's outta sight warranty. Once it's outta sight, it's outta warranty. They have got a few MP3s on their site. Click the link below and check 'em out. - The Manic Mechanic

I get nervous when labels put words like “experimental” in front of a genre descriptor like hardcore. There are tons of terms bandied about, such as post-hardcore and the like, but I still expect one thing from hardcore: a punch in the mouth. Luckily, on Composition by Buffalo’s Bleed for Me, the savage beating still took place. This is in fact experimental hardcore, but not because the standard boot-stomping elements aren’t there. It just happens that the band utilizes a large amount of cool electronics and samples. I’m not sure I’ve heard a hardcore album that is experimental in the way that Composition is experimental. I never felt as though the momentum was killed when the trippy interludes and creepy sampling popped up throughout the disc. It’s just a damn interesting listen and far from what I would have expected from a hardcore band. The more straight-ahead, slightly metallic, hardcore tunes (“Bully, “Spysong,” “Venom of God”) are of the highest quality. Within even the aggressive fare, there are accents and subtle nuances that make the arrangements more intriguing than a standard hardcore tune. Then we get songs like “Bully,” with its hypnotic blend of Eastern-sounding music (as in Far East, not East Coast) and percussion that is simply fantastic. I don’t know how this band manages to make the “out there” parts work so well amidst the terrifying hardcore aggression that’s going on elsewhere, but it sure as hell does. Somebody in this band (maybe all of ‘em) understands pacing and flow; it couldn’t have been an easy thing to pull off. The album ends with a 12-minute slow crush groove that spirals into dementia, yet still has a mesmerizing quality to it. I hate to make statements like this, but I’ll be goddamned if Composition didn’t make me view Bleed for Me as a kind of Neurosis of hardcore. What a pleasant surprise Composition has been. Review by Scott Alisoglu