If you miss the dark brooding, slumber that was Bloodlet, no worries, as former Bloodlet vocalist Scott Angelacos is here in Hope And Suicide with more dynamics to his voice than ever before. The clean vocals are a huge suprise, and they're actually done professionally. (i.e. he can actually sing!). Hope And Suicide’s five tracks are, jaw dropping, Neurosis ‘Souls At Zero’ inspired slabs, of heavy as fuck metal without being crappy, watered down garbage. Emmanuel 7 deliver something along close to being along the same lines but with more of a Swanish style. This is what I like to hear, creative metalic hardcore, without the terrible open E mosh parts that are still sticking around from the 90's. Part Deadguy, part Coalesce with out the filler. Highly recomended!

Hope and Suicide place a cool punk rock twist on metalcore. There's dark quirky guitar sound mixed with upfront vocals. Guitar solos come screeching in enough times to make you wonder if you're not listening to some rock and roll record. Especially Life In The Dirt Rock City. Over all they're a tight package with a creative sound that makes you see metalcore in a new light. The tones aren't as developed as they could be, but the talented riffage comes through nonetheless. The vocalist is ex-Bloodlet member Scott Angelacos and his unique style is immediately recognizable. This band is affirmably set to bring their crunching sound from Florida to the world. Emmanuel7 brings a slower, experimental metal/hardcore sound to the disc. There's some sampling here and it works well in my opinion. Riffs come in and out of the mix from all sides with different effects and the vocals are entertaining and chaotic. This split includes five songs from Emmanuel7; four originals and one cover, that being of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" and includes a vocal intro from Johnny himself explaining his inspiration for the song. Emmanuel7 do a truly smoking version in straight-up metalcore power. The clean acoustic run through the song at the end could've been left off but fans of the band will enjoy the candid insight. Both these bands are bands to watch and each puts forth an impressive effort on this release, which will be one of the favourite splits of the year by my prediction.

The second release from Protocol Recordings is similar to the first in that it's another split between two metalcore bands. However, this time, the bands have recorded originals (rather than covers). Hope And Suicide are a band I've been paying attention to since the minute I heard about them. Scott Angelacos, of Bloodlet fame, is their frontman and I always loved his work. His voice is so unique and it fits surprisingly well in this group even though they're much less chaotic and less dark than Bloodlet. As a matter of fact, this band do their own form of experimentation within the confines of metalcore. "Life In The Dirt Rock City" has a blues rock feel to it. The only thing I could do without are the clean vocals - otherwise, this is a rather impressive band. Emmanuel.7 are hyped up to be unique metalcore band, but it wasn't until their third song that I heard anything other than what is standard fare for the genre. Their music is very chaotic and very dissonant, but lacks little as far as hooks are concerned. "Syntax Error" is an entirely different song though, which I'm not sure if I like or not. It has an almost techno vibe to it with a basic drum beat, electronics and a robotic voice. It's interesting to say the least. The last song on the album is a cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" and I personally think it's a travesty. It is put together so hastily - it's your typical "metalcore covering a non-metal song" where they basically just add screaming and breakdowns to a song that doesn't need or deserve them. I understand this is supposed to be a tribute, but it just sounds like the bastardization of a classic. Both the bands on this split CD are leading the way for the future of metalcore. They take elements common to the genre today and add new twists which separate them from the copycats. They're both bands to watch out for. And other than the Johnny Cash cover, this disc is a good pickup.

"puts me in another world.very loud ...Peace be with you...."