Pastepunk.com
Review by Jordan A. Baker
Long Island's THIEVES AND ASSASSINS (featuring ex-members of THIS IS HELL, HEADS VS BREAKERS, THE BACK UP PLAN, among others) come in from way out in right field with their brand of Dave Smalley-esque melodic punk/hardcore. With a potent blend of DAG NASTY and TURNING POINT influences tangling with the worn threads of a band like HOT WATER MUSIC (seriously!), these guys go above and beyond the usual realm of songwriting for music with clear hardcore roots. There's four songs to this 7" and each retains a distinctive style, from the somber, guitar driven "New Song #2" (reminds me a bit of CRIME IN STEREO) to the speedy, drum-bashing, anthem-bearing closer "Swear to God." THIEVES AND ASSASSINS draw often from the well of inspiration and it's fun to pick out all the different traces of other bands that make up this band's patchwork of sounds. In the end though, these guys stand on their own pegs of originality and the strong lead vocals alone give cause for repeat listens. THIEVES impress lyrically as well, and one line from the opener, "The Death On The City Pavement" stands out: Honesty is strength protecting every single thing you need for living in a space between myths and facts, and every day's another chance to break free. For those with vinyl collecting aspirations, the 7" comes in an orange/black splatter that Iron Pier affectionately refers to as "Garfield the cat colored vinyl." I think that's a safe description and it clashes admirably with the black and blue colored insert. THIEVES AND ASSASSINS may have a name that brings to mind tough guys, or dual-skilled criminals, but their music is all straight from the heart and mind, and it's well worth your time.


Laminated Zine - www.laminated.org
Rating: 2/5
Reviewed by Dustin
This seven inch record has been sitting on my desk for a few weeks waiting to be reviewed. I've given it a few listens, but something has made me dread reviewing it. I've been putting it off, but now I'm finally reviewing the damn thing.
The first thing I noticed about Thieves And Assassin's debut effort is the horrible quality that really distorts a lot of the aspects of this recording. I can't make out what the guitars are doing for most of the record, and the bass and cymbals just drown everything out. It just hurts my ears to be blunt.
From what I can make out, TAA play melodic punk with a bit of hardcore, similar to old Bad Religion from the 90's. They claim to be melodic hardcore, but I think just calling them punk fits a bit better since they seem to have more of a punk mentality.
The vocals are alright for the majority of the time, but when the singer tries to scream, things just turn to shit. I think the guy is trying to pull off some vocal styles like those of Thrice, but he fails miserably.
I can't even judge the music. Like I said, the guitars are drowned out by the bass and drums. Everything just sounds like a mess to be honest. In the future, this band should just record somewhere else and maybe take a bit longer when writing songs to make them a little more dynamic and original.


Razorcake - #31 2006
An extremely strong debut, much akin to Strike Anywhere's Chorus of One. It's word heavy, melodic hardcore- ganged up vocals, the buzzy hummy quality of mid-period Bad Religion, and incorporates the making-musical-nooses knack of songwriting of prime Good Riddance. Yet, as is sometimes the case with debuts, I think they're trying to fit a bit too much into each song, and that lends a claustrophobic feeling to the EP as a whole, but it's definitely a band to watch in the future. - Todd


Under The Volcano - #91 2006
Featuring ex-members of the Backup Plan, Heads Vs Breakers, This Is Hell, Subterfuge and The Reformation, this band is a dream come true for anyone who's even a slight fan of modern day Long Island Hardcore. While it might be easy to understand, Thieves and Assassins sound exactly how you think they would: superb melodic Hardcore, very straight-forward, no frills, excellently played. On the whole they fall closer to Heads Vs Breakers than anything else, and yet they keep the anger and intensity that made the Backup Plan so appealing. This four song 7" is a sign of great things to come.