LAST OF THE BELIEVERS ā€“ Paper Ships Under A Burning Bridge (AmpHead)
Original release date: October 1st, 2007
Last Of The Believers have an impressive punk pedigree, with their lineup including guitarist Chris Chasse (formerly of Rise Against) and Brett Rasmussen (bassist for Ignite). This debut EP more than lives up to expectations, offering not only solid writing and performances but also an unusual breadth of scope.
Fists Up is pummelling hardcore with plenty of gang vocals, akin to Comeback Kid or With Honor, and the incendiary Dissent and breakneck Workhorse (featuring guest vocals from Throwdownā€™s Dave Peters) are in a similarly relentless vein. Yet these tracks are interspersed with positive, melodic anthems: the mid-tempo You Get What You Give and yearning Throwing Matches, which almost sound like an entirely different band, although one common factor is the consistently compelling quality of the songs.
It will be interesting to see if Last Of The Believers maintain this diversity on their upcoming full length album or focus more on one or another of the extremes theyā€™re equally capable of ā€“ but whatever the outcome, based on this taste it will be well worth looking out for.
Owen Heitmann
