Artwork-wise I like the sparse and simple lay-out of the record. Especially the fact that from the looks of it, you can't really predict what the band will sound like. No insert, the lyrics and all the info is written on the back of the sleeve. Very sober, yet appealing. On to the music then. My first thought after the needle hit the final was: The Estranged! And throughtout these 3 songs, the aforementioned Portland band remains an obvious reference. I would argue that Bloody Gears has a slightly less Wipers influence in their sound than The Estranged does, but the vocals of both bands definitely echo Greg Sage's. Musically, I would say this is a little more hardcore-influenced as I can definitely hear some 'Zen Arcade'-era Hüsker Dü in here as well. Due to the Wipers/Estranged-resemblance, Bloody Gears doesn't score too many points in the originality section, however there's something about this band that (at least to me) makes them stand out from the pack. The songs are well-written. Especially the tracks 'Take a Ride' (which was re-recorded from their demo) and the opening track of the record ('End of the Line') are highly memorable. After getting this record in the mail, I tracked down their entire demo online which features some equally excellent songs. My favorites being 'Bite the Hand' and 'Pre-Occupation'. I'm not sure what it is, but I have a feeling this 7" has the potential to slip under people's radar, only to realize in a year or two there are some really cool songs on this piece of vinyl. Do yourself a favour and don't pass this up.