Do or Die

Do or Die is the second album of ballsy, brass-knuckled US metal from Mean Mistreater out of Austin, Texas. It's another short "album," clocking in at 26:40, but that just means each track (only one of which exceeds four minutes in length) puts the boot in, kicks ass and makes way for the next one. The guitars and rhythm section are tight, belting out propulsive riffs and solos while singer Janiece Gonzalez's rough and tumble, leather-lunged delivery takes Mean Mistreater's songs up another notch. Personally, I can't get enough of the high-octane, bruising title track, but other songs like "Walk With Fire" and "Killer Red" get the job done as well. The songwriting in the first half is stronger than the second half but the drop off is minor. If you are into bands like Tower, Sanhedrin, Blood Star, etc. and Mean Mistreater isn't on your radar yet, it's time to remedy that situation.