A better Class Criminal - The Here and now

A Better Class Criminal

The Here and Now
self-released; 2014

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

Back in 2011 Chris Rivera (vocals) and Jake Sciscio (guitar) formed A Better Class Of Criminal.  At that time they were self-recording material and sending it back and forth via email but it wasn't long before they recruited Ben Witkowsky (vocals) to round out the group. Shortly after that they recorded their debut EP entitled The Here and Now. 

The three-piece will attract fans of bands like Rage Against the Machine and The Red Hot Chili Peppers but the most obvious band comparison is Lincoln Park. The band fuses together hip-hop and metal. They rap, sing and play heavy distorted guitars, you should get the idea.


For what they do they do it well. The production is good, they can write a tune and they also have the right type of voices for the music. 

The first thing you hear from the first song “Target Practice” is a distorted guitar manipulated by a wah pedal with feedback before the band powerfully explodes into a rocking riff. The bass get slapped (reminded me of how Flea plays the bass) around when the vocals enters. The band isn't opposed to  a shredding guitar solo as the song features a  pretty impressive one.

“Everything Burns” leans more towards heavy alternative rock than a lot of the other songs on the album. The riffs rock and if it wasn’t for the intermittent hip-hop style vocals there would be little separating it from a slew of bands. “Chasing Dream” contains a section towards the end of the song that is one of the finest moments of the album. The vocalists play off of each other while a cascading bass plays and a ska style guitar enters into the picture. It quickly erupts into an impressive guitar solo. “Brittle” is an octane-fueled song that has an ample amount of energy while the closer “Locked and Loaded” ends the EP with a bang.

For the kind of music these guys make they do it well. They aren't reinventing the wheel but if you are into the metal/rap hybrid type band then you won't want to miss these guys. 

Become A Fan

official website