Bad Chapters

Edge of Collapse

Any precipice this local trio envisions itself teetering upon disappears with the first two cuts on Edge of Collapse, including the jerking punch of the title track. With the ferocity of redneck roots metallers bred at the fringes of grunge – incorporating a post-punk directness drained of any pretension – Bad Chapters stomps its dry kindling debut without any backward glance at the flames licking the sides of their highway star. Cody Litkey’s naked city vocals wrap around Ben Reese’s running bassline on “Can’t Get Caught” like Duane Dennison and David Wm. Sims reunited. Litkey’s guitar stab meets Andrew Cearnal’s motoring drum beat on the equally ripped “Rebellion.” Circling riffs (“Wound Tight”), third-gear fuck-and-run (“Ordinary Tragedy”), and psychobilly burn (“No Way To Go”) ride high-octane rails. Throw the slow one back (“The Last”), make the finish line 10 rather than 12, and consider this Bad Chapters’ verge of ascension.

***.5

This article appears in August 12 • 2011.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US

San Francisco native Raoul Hernandez crossed the border into Texas on July 2, 1992, and began writing about music for the Chronicle that fall, debuting with an album review of Keith Richards’ Main Offender. By virtue of local show previews – first “Recommendeds,” now calendar picks – his writing’s appeared in almost every issue since 1993.