The "lesser known" CLEVELAND BOUND DEATH SENTENCE is the original CLEVELAND BOUND DEATH SENTENCE, the name taken from an acronym using the first letter of the original members' names - Casey, Brad, Dave (LOOMIS, SANDBOX), Scott (ALLIGATOR GUN, PROMISE RING, then DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL). Before this 1988 tape, they had added a B (Brendan) a second guitarist (John - hard to squeeze a J-word into that name, I guess), and they were a suburban hardcore machine. From the three second SABBATH rip that starts "The Struggle," you can just tell you're about to get leveled...and you are. Pissed, slightly metallic US hardcore punk with the laid back second wave groove that allowed bands to construct songs (often to their own detriment - some bands are just built for speed). Every track here is a classic - from the guitars that open "Cause Of Death" to the chorus of "Crematorium" C.B.D.S. punch way above their weight from start to finish. Brad's vocals deliver a forceful and slightly awkward youthful warble that brings to mind early '80s Orange County punks while the band bashes out "Afraid" with confidence and power...afraid of nothing. There was a rehearsal tape before this recording, and a decidedly more crossover demo that came after - all are worth visiting, and all are worth far more praise than the band receives.
And the "other" CLEVELAND BOUND DEATH SENTENCE? Check the logo and the aesthetic on their 1997 EP, and know that one of the founding members spend a lot of time in Milwaukee in the late '80s and early '90s. You're welcome to draw your own conclusions.
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