''Cast the First Stone'' was the second full-length album by American band

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

. It was released by Nitro Records in March 1999 and follows the band's debut, '' Direction of Things to Come'' which came out on Indecision Records in November 1997.

Overview

The combination of a move to a bigger record label and a different guitarist from their previous album did little to alter the band's sound. It was a short, frenetic-paced collection of songs again. The tracks in the early part of the album are straightforward

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

with less inclination to include slower

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the vi ...

sections – referred to as breakdowns – than in previous recordings. This resulted in the tracks sounding faster. The latter part of the album showed signs that the band was including more

metalcore Metalcore (also known as metallic hardcore) is a fusion music genre that combines elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. As with other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of ...

elements into their sound. They would develop this tendency towards a more

sound in their subsequent release, '' The Price of Progression''.

Track listing

All songs written by Ensign. #"Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars" – 2:17 #"#22" – 1:32 #"15 Years" – 1:23 #"Wash Away" – 1:12 #"Fade into Years" – 1:48 #"Waiting for the Breakdown" – 1:01 #"Absent" – 1:51 #"For the Record" – 1:55 #"Winner Takes All" – 0:57 #"Never Give In" – 2:19 #"Pale Horse" – 2:27 #"Unanswered" – 1:49 #"DBC" – 0:35 #"Cornered" – 1:40 #"The Road Less Travelled" – 2:15 #"Fallen" – 2:52 * Track 5 is a reprise of a song which was originally recorded in 1997 and not released * Track 11 is a reprise of the song which appeared on the band's first, self-titled, 7-inch EP * Tracks 5 and 11 can be found in their original form on the retrospective Indecision Records release '' Three Years Two Months Eleven Days''

Credits

* Tim Shaw – vocals * Ryan "Mackenzie" Donoghue – guitar * Nate "Edge" Gluck – bass * Ryan Murphy – drums *

Sick of It All Sick of It All is an American hardcore punk band formed in 1986 in Queens, New York City. The band's lineup consists of brothers Lou and Pete Koller on lead vocals and guitars respectively, Armand Majidi on drums, and Craig Setari on bass. Sick ...

's Lou Koller provided guest vocals on "15 Years" * Recorded at Trax East, South River, New Jersey * Produced and engineered by Steve Evetts * Assistant producers: Lou and Pete Koller of Sick of It All * Mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music

References

External links

Nitro Records

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cast The First Stone 1999 albums Ensign (band) albums Albums produced by Steve Evetts