CRUSHER Magazine: punk/metal/hardcore/industrial: Review: Grade 8

. From the first strains of the opening track “Brick By Brick” through the closing track “Celebrate”, they lay down the hard pummeling strains of hardcore and manage to blend it seamlessly with the melody of metal, adding a touch of rhythmic rap to the vocal cadence here and there to make it interesting. Vocalist Ryan Tooker and his brother, guitarist Dustin Tooker have taken the raw essence of the New Jersey scene of their origin and added bassist Guy Couturier and drummer Scotty “Kanikki” Carneghi as well as some L.A. angst and come up with a record that is as melodic and grooving as it is crushing. Taking inspiration from groups such as Madball and Sick Of It All, they have that gritty essence that was so promising in NJ’s Dragpipe, without the penchant for self-destruction and implosion. Of special interest are the songs “Adrenachrome”, “Empire Falls”, and “Smoke N’ Mirrors”—talk about internal demons and anger running through the guts and spewing into digital format! Can’t wait to see these guys at Ozzfest.

	GRADE 8 GRADE 8 LAVA	LINKS: lavarecords.com grade8music.com
	It’s not very often that a cd comes across my desk that I go absolutely stupid over. But the self-titled debut release by the California quartet Grade 8 has welded itself into the tray of my cd player. It’s become a part of my morning routine—as necessary as that first cup of caffeine.
. From the first strains of the opening track “Brick By Brick” through the closing track “Celebrate”, they lay down the hard pummeling strains of hardcore and manage to blend it seamlessly with the melody of metal, adding a touch of rhythmic rap to the vocal cadence here and there to make it interesting. Vocalist Ryan Tooker and his brother, guitarist Dustin Tooker have taken the raw essence of the New Jersey scene of their origin and added bassist Guy Couturier and drummer Scotty “Kanikki” Carneghi as well as some L.A. angst and come up with a record that is as melodic and grooving as it is crushing. Taking inspiration from groups such as Madball and Sick Of It All, they have that gritty essence that was so promising in NJ’s Dragpipe, without the penchant for self-destruction and implosion. Of special interest are the songs “Adrenachrome”, “Empire Falls”, and “Smoke N’ Mirrors”—talk about internal demons and anger running through the guts and spewing into digital format! Can’t wait to see these guys at Ozzfest.
----Christine Natanael