I got to know Ace Stallings a few years ago, when he was maybe the busiest hardcore promoter in Richmond. Stallings is an extremely cool presence, both welcoming and imposing, and he's about as passionate about hardcore as a person can be. He's been a great frontman for bands like Break Away, Mutually Assured Destruction, and Sentinel. These days, Stallings is living out in the Bay Area, where he books tons of shows and fronts the straight-edge hardcore punk crew Eliminators.
To hear Ace tell it, he started Eliminators just so he could play shows with Fentanyl, which is awesome. Eliminators have a fast, direct old-school style. They released their first two EPs, B.A.S.E. and S.F.H.C. last year. Earlier this year, I saw them play their first East Coast show and then almost get stranded in a snowstorm; they were awesome. Today, they release their fast, mean, to-the-point full-lenght debut E.F.F.E.
As you might expect, E.F.F.E is not a long album; it's 10 songs in 17 minutes. It still feels like a real leap. The sound is sharper and cleaner than it was on the EPs, and the songs are catchy. I hear a bit of an oi influence creeping in, and the choruses demand full-room singalongs. If you're into bands like Restraining Order, you should definitely hear this. Check it out below.
E.F.F.E. is out now on Rebirth.
