Band:	Hundred Reasons
Album:	Quick The Word, Sharp The Action
Style:	Hardcore
Release date:	October 2007
A review by:	jupitreas

01. Break The Glass
02. No Way Back
03. Sick Little Masquerade
04. Boy
05. Slipping Away
06. Pernavas Iela
07. The Shredder
08. I'll Never Know
09. She Is Poison
10. Opera
11. Lost For Words
12. Out Of Time

Hundred Reasons' brand of fringe rock could have been an enormous failure on every account, it could have been an indigestible mishmash of styles that goes nowhere, could have fallen into all the pitfalls of mainstream rock and metal. But it doesn't. Quick The Word, Sharp The Action is one of those albums that should incite my hatred but instead proves to be surprisingly listenable and accomplished. Confusing, huh?

Well, let me explain. The music on this album exists on the fringe of a few genres - alternative metal, nu metal, metalcore, post-hardcore and yes, even some of that pesky emo stuff. If this list of styles makes your skin crawl, you'd be forgiven for your inevitable quick dismissal of this music. After all, the most abominable mainstream bands on the scene these days usually provide a mixture of precisely these elements. So why is Hundred Reasons so different? It's quite simple actually - whereas most bands would cut and paste genre elements to make a marketable product, this band merely acknowledges their influences and then goes ahead and makes highly unique and personal music.

The result is simply rock music that defies stylistic categorization. Sure, the elements are there but the band never professes any allegiance to anything in particular besides their own musical vision. Illustration - every song on this album has an undercurrent of chaotic noise but only on a few occasions does it emerge past the fringes of our musical perception. Other elements - subtlety, anger, melancholy, occasional happiness and joy - all follow the same wave-like flow of the music that the band offers on this album. And thus, an aggressive noise-rock ditty such as "The Shredder" feels right at home with the delicate and subtle "Slipping Away". Or the absolutely undeniable pop genius of "Opera"...

The result is a concise and impressive whole, impossible to pigeonhole, but existing on the fringe of many genres in its own plane. Think bands like Klimt 1918 or Dredg. A word of warning - this plane will be difficult to access. I think it is worth the effort.