Down Beat Hardcore
Hardcore mob Only Fumes and Corpses have an old school sound, husky screams, fast drums and chunky riffs define them, there are some decent tunes too though. The whole record has a down beat tone, immediately evident from looking at the song titles; track names like 'Futile Promises Of A Listless Mind', 'The Weight Of Your World On My Shoulders' and 'Apathy Resumes' are very telling, lyrically you're on the same track, having a guy scream "there is no point" at you over and over may make you slightly melancholy, unless you're in the right mood.
OK all that said, the album is actually really solid, and who wants to be happy all the time anyway; the tracks all have really great underlying hooky riffs, 'X Marks The Cross' for example has an almost ska beat half way through and the vocals get quite melodic, the record is very textured and full, the production suitably lo-fi, allowing all the fuzz and distortion on the vocals to add to the overall atmosphere. 'Flogging A Dead Horse' is typical of the album; fast drums, emotionally charged screams, really tuneful and varied riffs and a danceable section.
There are always quirks in these songs, even though the old school hardcore-punk feel is there, the album is not straight forward, you always get something extra. Be that those little tuneful sections, rhythm or key changes, the occasional metal riffs or perhaps a bit of Ska thrown in, there is always something different in each tune to make you stay interested and this is what elevates this record above the average.