We Are the Romans by Botch (CD, Jan-2005, Hydra Head Records)

Botch definitely opened the door for bands like Norma Jean and Underoath to do what they're doing now. Crushing, dissonent riffs that never relent. The album closer, "Man the Ramparts", is a brilliant epic song with heavy riffs and a gregorian chant interlude, believe it or not. Dave Knudson's newer band Minus the Bear is completely different than Botch, but offers something equally as exciting and creative. That tells me that though Botch's sound is a very cohesive hardcore metal sound, the creative forces behind it knew how to keep things dynamic enough to make the music interesting and never dull or repetitive. A classic hardcore metal album.