by Greg Prato

Within the realm of what's considered modern-day hardcore, it's hard to find new bands of the genre that don't manage to incorporate melody and metal into their tough sound. An example of this is the Jacksonville, FL-based quartet Evergreen Terrace, and especially, their sophomore full-length, 2009's Almost Home. As evidenced by such tracks as the title cut and "We're Always Losing Blood," heavy duty riffing, tempos that alternate between grinding and speedy, and vocals that morph in the blink of an eye from drill sergeant screams to pop-punk/singsongy melodicism are all on display throughout. In other words, not a lot is featured on Almost Home that you haven't heard elsewhere on other hardcore-metal albums circa the early 21st century.