Nonetheless, I gave this a spin and gained a modicum of enjoyment from it, but I felt so cheated since I knew the album that was supposed to arrive to me kicks loads of ass. I used to have it. All grievances aside, I contacted my seller and he said he would send the correct album and I could keep this one as a gift.

Anthrophobia is a hard rock band with groovy metallic inclinations and a punky hardcore bravado from time to time. On Framework, they give us an EP much less marauding than their work on such LPs as Pulse, but the basic style is kept intact. Frank Phobia stands out as the cocky throat of this monster, and is at his best in the choruses of these anthems, when the lyrics are barked out louder and more convincingly. You really couldn't call this band hardcore, but the gang-type vocals popping up are like proto-versions of it. Of course you can hear the punk in there too, but let's not forget that hardcore and some other types of music drew inspiration from punk.

Hans and Mike Phobia play the guitars, but I personally can't tell that there are two guitarists. The riffs are pretty average, but they've got good rhythm and tone. Also, they don't tread mallcore territory too much. Solos are used sparingly and appropriately for this type of music and the tempo never really exceeds a leisurely stomp. No thrashing madness here, people. Oh, may I also mention that the bass is very audible, which is great. It could be that I'm just developing more of an ear for the oft-neglected accoutrements of bass and drums, but hey.

The only thing that bothers me about Framework is that it's much too tame. Most of the time when I hear vocals such as Frank's, I'm used to hearing slightly more abrasive stuff. Still, this is not too bad, especially for parties. Another minor complaint is reserved for the song "Move Over, Mr. Big Kick", in which an annoying chant of "Move motherf***er, move" accompanies some of the verses. No, fellas, you don't need to be gangsta or ghetto fabulous. Just...stop.