The Allstar Project - Your Reward...A Bullet

To be honest, I hate everything about this band.

I hate their name. The title for their album is the epitome of cliché, and they just look like a bunch of wankers.




But, god damn, can they make a record.



Your Reward…A Bullet is the Portuguese band's first full length. Their previous EP had gained small amounts of positive reviews by places such as The Silent Ballet. Their end result is a combination of some absoltely beautiful arrangements, and some well placed samples. There are voice samples from Waking Life and a speech about lasers cutting through monkeys. And I know what you’re thinking, it sounds lame and it all sounds like they are trying too hard, and normally I would agree with you


….if the album wasn’t so solid.

From the twinkling guitar intros to a wall of sound swirling climax, this band does it all. They sound a lot more like Caspian than Explosions in the Sky, and a little like GYBE (without all that weird long stuff). But this album is one of the best post rock releases I have heard all year. The heavy crunching distorted guitars are here alongside frantic drumming and soaring crescendos. But it’s not all high energy rock. They nail the slow parts; their buildups are effective. There's some seriously heavy breakdowns and a few electronic beate used. All of the parts come together really well. As I was listening to this, I could not wait to see what they had next. And my patience was rewarded in full.


The album’s powerful closer, For a Friend, is the first standout track on the album, it really had me saying "wow, this is good". It employs everything this band does right. From soft to loud to soft but never boring, it’s an emotional track and a fitting end to the album as a whole.

Overall the album is a great post-rock record. With only two tracks breaking the 7 minute mark, it’s easy to get into and great for both veteran fans and newcomers to the genre.

8.5/10