Posts Tagged ‘hardcore’
Friday, March 29th, 2013
Caught In the Grips (Self-Released)
 Sick album cover artwork! I have been anticipating this album since I saw the band open up for BIOHAZARD and MADBALL in upstate New York last year. It’s not every day that you are impressed with an upstart band with an old-school style. Northern New Jersey’s 96 is a band that plays to their strengths, eschews trends and writes good anthemic Hardcore. I saw an an entire skeptical crowd, be won over by their honesty delivery and cool live show. I suspect this album is just the start of bigger things for them.
“Had Enough” starts with a wave of sound that sounds like it was fired out of a cannon. All of the elements I enjoyed about the band were in play within thirty seconds of the first song. Great razor sharp guitar riffs will excite you and this band definitely puts their own spin on the music they grew up on. Vocalist COREY DONAHUE is still the star of the show with his furious delivery and thoughtful lyrics. Like many of the tracks here, the band says a lot without being repetitive or riding riffs too long. “Losing Grip” is a killer track with a punk sound and and metal backbone musically. It will make you want to slam all night in the mosh pit. Blink and you will miss it, “Darker Days” is a real throwback to the glory days of THE CRO-MAGS, WARZONE and YOUTH OF TODAY. Another song steeped in the tradition of the old is “Fast Money”. One of the things I loved about great hardcore back in the day was that it always taught you a lesson about life. The guys in 96 are not exactly wizened Sherpas, but they have enough street smarts and common sense to be sincere and not be too preachy. Other lighting quick cuts are “Hard Luck” and “Culture Shock”, which are no less impressive despite their short run time. My favorite track on the album is “Dried Up”, which has a distinct SUICIDAL TENDENCIES meets D.R.I. feeling that I can’t deny. Neat riffs, grinding grooves and a tasty guitar solo break made me feel as if I was hearing some 1991 lost Post HXCX masterpiece. Other top tracks are “16 Inches” and the epic closer “Rise Up”. The album goes by quickly at just over twenty minutes, but sounds strong on repeated listens too. 96 writes some catchy tracks with a lot of heart and soul. I’ll be excited to see them hit the road again soon and see where the journey takes them next.
You can buy Caught In the Grips from the bands’ Bandcamp page.
GRADE: B
By Keith (@Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: 96, bandcamp.com, biohazard, Caught In the Grips, hardcore, Hardcore Metal, madball, NYHC, old-school punk, Post HC, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES meets D.R.I., THE CRO-MAGS, Vocalist COREY DONAHUE, Warzone, YOUTH OF TODAY
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Friday, March 29th, 2013
Idle Hands (Victory Records)
Hailing from South Wales, UK is the band CONTINENTS, who play the kind of uncompromising, hardcore inspired metal that can take them far in the current scene of cookie cutter bands. It takes a lot to stand above the crowd and on your own two-feet these days, metaphorically speaking. By bringing the energy and the angst of old hardcore and a modern edge that borrows from Deathcore, Tech Death and a few other styles, CONTINENTS is a band that will get heads bopping and breaking at shows. Idle Hands has a very live feel to it, and the sound of a hungry band pushing their own limits.
Setting it off with “224”, the track swells like the onslaught of an attack on your ears. Great syncopated riffs and a killer beat kick things off right. This is a great little nugget of a track that would make for a good stage intro. The title track comes next and is really quite brutal. I like the angular, complex riffs and interesting shifts between Metalic Hardcore, sludge, punk, Deathcore and back again. Vocalist PHIL CROSS: remember this name well. In a few years time he is going to be mentioned along the same lines as PHIL BOZEMAN and EDDIE HERMIDA among others. He has a beastly growl, a great high scream, and a screechy sounding thing he does too. When contrasted with the gang vocals the band does, it works to great effect. “Pegasus, Pegasus” has a some great grooves in the verse and then the song takes a total left turn in to melodic Metalcore. And it works. The rest of the song is full of atonal licks and breakdowns. Phil changes things up and actually carries a decent melody. I can see this track being a big hit for them. “Inhale” has a slick urgency to its tempo and delivery. It almost sounds like a rabid animal breaking out of a cage, and has some of the best riffs on the album. Guitarists Darryl Sweet and Tom Weaver make sure to pummel chords with low-tuned authority, but deliver a lot of tuneful textures in every song as well. The track has another brutal/catchy chorus part that I liked. Drummer Duncan “Ken” Hamill makes the beat hot with his blistering kick drum work. I rather like his dry, not-overly processed sound, which bucks the current trend. “Land of the Free” is another hyperactive, killer track. It has almost a techno/industrial feeling to the beginning, before it slows down and grinds away. With many songs this short and to the point, it means a direct impact that cuts to the chase musically. The next track “Sheeps In Wolves Clothing” almost caught me off guard by sounding like Death Metal HATEBREED. The track is barely a minute and a half long, but it is great. I hope they play this one live. Following up that with “Regrets”, the band lays down another sick groove and rides it into your skull. The middle-section has some interesting off time riffing that is cool. Easily one of the top tracks on here. I wish at times bassist Dom Turner would get to step up and out a bit more, but he mostly holds down the low end of the riffs. “Loathe” is an intense instrumental, while “Trials” gives way to more aggressive, bruising staccato chords. I could do with a few less bass drops from this album, but I really I can’t quibble with them too much. The band has the good sense to not overdo them. On the plus side, they have done a good job incorporating other electronic ear candy into the mix. “Exhale” is another Punky, anthem and you can just imagine the pile on at the foot of the stage live. So angry, so brief. “Truth and Lies” switches back to the tried and true Deathcore, not unlike WHITECHAPEL and THE ACACIA STRAIN, until the refrain. “Lion’s Den” is a great closer. Lots of rage and tunefulness too, which is kind of the story overall on the album. CONTINENTS is a band unafraid to blend genres and step out of the mold. For that, I applaud them. It will be fun to see where they go from here.
 CONTINENTS: Ready for the big time. GRADE: B
By Keith (@Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: bass drops, bassist Dom Turner, CONTINENTS, Death Metal, Deathcore, Drummer Duncan “Ken” Hamill, great death vocals, grooves, guitarist Darryl Sweet, guitarist Tom Weaver, hardcore, Hatebreed, Idle Hands, metalcore, Metalic Hardcore, punk, sing-a-long gang vocals, sludge, the acacia strain, victory records, Vocalist PHIL CROSS, Whitechapel
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Friday, March 8th, 2013
Metal Army caught up with HATEBREED guitarist FRANK “3 GUN” NOVINEC. Out on the road supporting the veteran metal bands new album The Divinity of Purpose (Razor & Tie), Novinec caught us up to speed on what the band has been up to. We chatted about what Billboard chart success is like, touring plans, what goes into writing a HATEBREED album, their new label and much more!
 HATEBREED’s new album dropped in January.
MA: Hi Frank! How’s the tour going? You guys are in Virginia today, right?
FN: We are! It’s been a lot of fun! It’s great to to finally tour with the new record out. And we are doing the smaller markets on this tour, just because we hit all the other markets last fall with LAMB OF GOD. And we also just did our own headline run of the 10 Years of Perseverance Tour. So we wanted to go around, hit the smaller markets, really quick, and support the new record that actually came out on this tour. The response has been great!
 FRANK “3 GUN” NOVINEC MA: I know the record just dropped a few weeks back. The band has sold over 1 million records, but it has to be like a nice achievement for you to end up at the top of the Billboard charts.
FN: You don’t want base things around that, just in case you don’t get that spot, like we did. But it was a first for us, to get top 20 billboard and thee number on hard rock list. It’s pretty awesome! The fact that it is relevant, and that did hit top 20 Billboard and the #1 hard rock record for the week, it’s pretty awesome. It means this late in our career awesome people are still in to it. After 20 years, we haven’t fallen off at all, and I think it makes a big statement as far as our longevity is concerned with those numbers.
MA: How is the new deal with Razor and Tie working out so far that stand out?
FN: We are working with John and Peter again, who were with eOne, formerly Koch/eOne, who did the self titled record with. Our relationship with them is great! Razor and Tie have been great and really gotten a lot of things accomplished. Right off the bat, they are really behind us 100%. And it shows in the Billboard numbers ad stuff like that. It shows that we have done more press for this album than any other album in our history. They are excited about and we are too! And it is our first time working with with Nuclear Blast in Europe, and that has been so far too.
MA: How does the writing for a HATEBREED album typically start?
FN: Well you have the root of the song, which JAMEY (JASTA) creates. Jamey as one of the sole songwriters in the band since day one, he comes in with the heart of song. He’s got the HATEBREED formula. And it works, so we don’t try to fix it since it is not broken. So we aren’t going to change that. Finally, we decided this wasn’t going to be one of those records that down the road, we didn’t want to regret or want to change anything and say things like ‘we should of changed that’. The thing I am most proud of about this record, it’s great from beginning to end. It’s all killer and no filler.
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MA: The new album definitely sounds like a HATEBREED album, but I do hear growth in some songs like “The Language”, “Bitter Truth” and the title track. Is the band still experimenting?
FN: I think we did that on the last album. We went out about as far as we could go from our comfort zone and we accomplished that. We are like the AC/DC or the MOTÖRHEAD of our genre, it’s a very meat and potatoes sort of thing. There is nothing worse than when you go to get a record by one of your favorite bands and it doesn’t sound like that band. For me, it’s not a good thing. We are not that band. We are not a progressive band. We are not like RUSH, not taking anything away from them, because we are all fans of that too. But for HATEBREED and we know what to deliver, what people want and what the fans expect.
MA: How do you and WAYNE LOZINAK split up the guitar parts?
FN: The writing really comes from Jamey and Chris. We’re both similar. It really comes from the Gibson/Marshall tone. It worked for LED ZEPPELIN, it works for AC/DC, it worked for KISS. And those bands are more hard rock, but it works for us. We’re able to create a tone that is just brutal, just using guitars and those amps. We’re cranking Gibson’s through Marshall’s and I enjoy it because… all of my heroes played Gibson guitars through Marshall Amps, for the most part. To be able to play in a successful band and use that gear with those companies behind us, is a dream come true.
MA: You mentioned the 10 Years of Perseverance Tour, earlier. How do you keep making the set list diverse and interesting as a band?
FN: The beautiful thing about it is that we don’t have a set list. Jamey has a sheet on stage with about 50 plus songs. And he goes ‘this song is called’ and we have about two seconds to figure out how it goes and we play it. There is no set list. So every night, we play a completely different set lit. You will hear the hits… we always play “I Will Be Heard” and “Destroy Everything”, “Live For This” and “In Ashes They Shall Reap”, every night, no matter what. No when you have an hour set and our songs are two-three minutes long, you get to hear a lot of songs. But in between the hits you might hear anything. Fortunately for us we are well rehearsed and on tour enough to pull that off. It keeps us on our feet and keeps it interesting for us. We still love playing every night that way. More than anything it’s for the fans. It gives us something to talk about and especially for people traveling to multiple shows, it gives them a chance to hear different stuff. We broke out some stuff last night, that we haven’t played in a while. It’s something we do that is special and I can’t think of any other band that does that.
MA: HATEBREED is one of the headline bands this year at the NEW ENGLAND METAL AND HARDCORE FEST 15…. what does playing that show mean to you?
FN: To be honest with you I’m from the Mid-west and I live down South now. I’m not from the New England area, and our drummer, MATT BYRNE is from the Poughkeepsie, New York area and the other three guys are from Connecticut. But we are really close with SCOTT LEE, who runs the fest has been booking HATEBREED for a long time. It’s great to see how the fest has grown for a long time. Just form the early days of being just the New England Metalfest and where it is now. Before I was in HATEBREED I was playing in TERROR, and they had some great shows there too. We are a New England band, and we’ve had some great shows there. We love The Palladium! We headlined there two years ago and it was great! And it does always feel like a hometown show to us, every time we play there. We’re looking forward to it being a packed house, as always!
MA: What else do you have going on for plans for the rest of this year?
FN: We have booked the second leg of this tour. It’s us, EVERYTIME I DIE, TERROR, THIS IS HELL and JOB FOR A COWBOY. I think it’s a two week run that takes us to Metalfest. We have booked a festival in Ohio called the jamboree fest. In between now and that tour we;’re going to the UK and St. Petersberg Russia. A lot of touring in and out of Europe, South America and everywhere else. We are dropping another video for our second single for “Honor Never Dies”, and who knows maybe we’ll squeeze out another one before the end of the year. It’s the Divinity of Purpose, full-throttle for us with the new record, video and tours. If you don’t catch us on these dates, if you are reading this or listening to this, we’ll be back in your area soon. People can expect to see us on the road all the time, as always.
MA: Frank, thanks for spending some time with us today.
FN: My pleasure! Thanks!
By Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: bassist Chris Beattie, crowd sing-a-longs, FRANK NOVINEC, great lyrics, groove, guitarist WAYNE LOZINAK, hardcore, HATEBRREED, jamey jasta, JOSH WILBUR, keeping it positive, Kingdom of Sorrow, metal, metalcore, NEW ENGLAND METAL AND HARDCORE FESTIVAL 15, perseverance, razor & tie, SHELTER, The Divinity of Purpose, The Rise of Brutality or Supremacy, Zeuss
Posted in Feature Interviews, Interviews | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 5th, 2013
In this exclusive feature special to this blog, today we present the gig report from CLIFF BURTON’S first gig with METALLICA which took place on this date, thirty years ago today. It was truly a momentous occasion in the history of Bay Area Thrash and all of metal as Cliff’s addition to the band truly set them apart from the pack in the scene. Re-printed with permission originally as is ran Metal Mania #10, 1983, and more recently appeared as a critical chapter in the book MURDER IN THE FRONT ROW. Written by BRIAN LEW and HAROLD OIMOEN (D.R.I.), MITFR came out last year from Bazillion Points.
METALLICA, THE STONE, MARCH 5, 1983
by Brian Lew, excerpt from Metal Mania #10, 1983
Six months have passed since METALLICA’s dubious San Francisco debut opening for BITCH in September of ‘82, but in those two hundred-odd days the group has built up a large, rabid following in the Bay Area. This particular show was dubbed “The Night Of The Banging Head” and was the debut of new bassist, Cliff Burton. As a crowd of three hundred or so filed into The Stone, the scene was set for what turned out to be the heaviest show in recent S.F. HM history!
Opening the show were LAAZ ROCKIT and EXODUS. The awesome EXODUS bludgeoned the bangers into submission and induced some wild thrashing on the dance floor with such murderous tunes as “Whipping Queen,” “Die By His Hand,” and “Impaler.” Despite an ecstatic crowd response, EXODUS were denied an encore, but they nonetheless wreaked havoc on craniums and left many a sore neck!
On the other hand, East Bay PRIEST/CRUE clones LAAZ ROCKIT were criminally lacking in originality. Although they do have a good stage presence and show, utilizing some effective lighting, and their new guitarist definitely improves them as a performing unit, their weak, predictable material overshadows these good points. At last, LAAZ completed their allotted set and were gone. Then it was time…
METALLICA, those Supreme Metal Gods, those Purveyors of Raging Sonic Decapitation, those Rabid Vodka-Powered Maniacs, blew our faces off as they stormed onstage through a flurry of smoke and blinding light and got things really banging with “Hit The Lights” and it was time to DIE!!!
As is their style, the band went from power to power as they steamed through “The Mechanix” and “Phantom Lord”, leaving the headbanging horde thrashed and raging, and it was only three songs into the set! The autobiographical “Motorbreath” was as fast as ever and even more plaster cascaded from the ceiling. At this show, the group was incorporating some new lighting and effects and the results were staggering! Their live show is now complete and is the most effective of any club band I’ve seen!
Next up was the fiery cauldron of “Jump In The Fire” and then that “war machine that eats its way across the land,” “No Remorse”! DEATH, DEATH, RESOUNDING DEATH!!! And still METALLICA mercilessly hacked through their list of nuclear soul shatterers. “Seek And Destroy” found its target and drilled our eardrums as the headbanging and thrashing of the crowd (and band) intensified.
The moment many had been waiting for soon arrived. Bassist Cliff Burton’s solo spot!!! Cliff built his solo from a haunting classical guitar-sounding ballad up to a crescendo of some of the fastest, most apocalyptic bass raging ever performed! Step aside Steve Harris, Bill Sheehan and Joey DeMaio!
Throughout his symphony, Cliff (a.k.a. God!) utilized his wah pedal to attain sounds that most would believe impossible; you could swear he was playing lead guitar, not bass. As his solo built up to its conclusion, drummer supreme Lars Ulrich (now playing double bass) and maestro of the six string Dave Mustaine leaped into an awesome jam session that had heads bobbing violently and hair flying in all directions. Then, in one swift action, they were rejoined by vocalist/rhythm guitarist/rager James Hetfield and sped into that ear bleeding anthem “Whiplash.”
As the crowd “banged their heads against the stage like they never did before,” the group continued to go mental right along with them! Closing the set were the two DIAMOND HEAD classics “Am I Evil?” and “The Prince,” which were played, in traditional METALLICA fashion, faster than Sean Harris, et al, could ever dream possible!
For their well-deserved (and loudly requested) encores, METALLICA brought back a song they performed in their early days, BLITZKRIEG’s bombastic “Blitzkreig” (Raging Metallic Death!!!) and then obliterated everyone and everything as they sliced into that anthem to end all anthems, the almighty ode to headbangers “Metal Militia”!!
With the addition of Cliff Burton, METALLlCA now have the heaviest and fastest lineup ever assembled. With dates confirmed for them in New York in early April (including a headlining show on the 1st and a support slot with VANDENBERG on the 8th), and their debut album expected in late spring, things are definitely beginning to happen for this band!
by Brian Lew
(Special thanks to Brian Lew for the blog, the use of the MITFR images and especially to Bazillion Points)
Tags: alex skolnick, Bay Area Thrash, Bazillion Points Publishing, Berekely, BLIND ILLUSION, Brian Lew, Cliff Burton, crossover, D.R.I., DEAD KENNEDY’S, DEATH ANGEL as little kids, Debbie Abono, discharge, East Bay, El Duce, EXODUS, forbidden, Gary Holt, gbh, Harald Oimoen, hardcore, Heathen, Ian Christie, Larry LaLonde, Les Claypool, Megadeth, meta reviews by Keefy, metal history, Metallica, Motorhead, Murder In The Front Row:Shots From The Bay Area Thrash Metal Epicenter, Oakland, Paul Baloff, Possessed, Primus, punk, robb flynn, Ron Quintana, Ruthie's Inn, slayer, testament, The Ramones, The Stone, Thrash Metal, Vio-lence, Whiplash Zine, Wolfgang's
Posted in GUEST BLOGS, METAL HISTORY RE-REVISTED | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 27th, 2013
The Democracy Center, Cambridge MA
 It’s good-natured small gigs like these that make one remember how alike Punks and Thrashers (and to a point, all Metalheads) are when you get them together. Think on it: Both wear black a lot, both are societal outcasts with atypical haircuts, they both wear patches and ripped clothing, etc. To say nothing of the music itself. Thrash Metal is essentially IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST fans mainlining punk rhythms and throwing the resulting brew into a pressure cooker to ferment and sweeten. And now onto the show review before I turn this into an essay on how Thrash and Hardcore fans should hang out more.
Opening this festival of the damned was METH VALLEY, a gang of talented local thrashers fronted by some crazy guy I’ve seen at mad shows, MDF included. Thrash is a hard genre to innovate in without turning it into something else by accident, so these longhairs played it safe and by the book, albeit without inducing yawns. If you like RAZORMAZE, check ‘em.
Next up were Boston Hardcore guys DRAIZE, alternating between the slow and punishing and the fast and punishing extremes with equal skill. Everyone’s favourite bespectacled baldie decided to go at this gig barefoot, which is a ballsy as fuck move considering how much punks usually love to wear boots or something. Nary a toe was injured, luckily, as the walls churned with heat, leather, and fist while the dance floor surged with pent-up anger and good times.
 DRAIZE. Boston. Hardcore. Emphasis on the core. Oh how I missed my poetic verve.
It’s not very often one gets to see DRAIZE, much less hear them, since a certain amount of mystery prevents them from posting tracks online, despite the many available avenues with which a band may do so today. If you don’t know the songs, you don’t know them, and you never will unless you buy their stuff, so there’s that. It’s all good and dark, and makes you want to kill, so it hardly matters in the end, as long as you don’t act a fool. Highlights of the set: A huge fat guy herkie-ing like nobody’s business, and getting full-body lifted and placed back down by a guy half my height while I was in the middle of a graceless two-step.
 IRON REAGAN. Not your momma’s Punk/Metal super group!
IRON REAGAN, featuring TONY FORESTA from MUNICIPAL WASTE and some other guys because fuck it, it’s Tony Foresta and that basically makes it MUNICIPAL WASTE by proxy, followed to bring some groovin’ Thrash served in a radioactive barrel. Or something. This being their first tour as a band, it’s amazing how quickly they’ve all settled into the whole live dealie. Granted, they are seasoned musicians, and probably all hang out, but my word, you’d think they’ve been doing this as IRON REAGAN for years already. Tony’s charismatic control of the crowd’s friendly violent fun, the vicious axe attack of fellow ‘Waster LANDPHIL, bass duties gregariously filled by a certain guy named Paul, and drum noise made by DARKEST HOUR’s own RYAN PARRISH (editor’s note, Ryan quit DH last year). You’ve got yourself a crew that’s ready to rock, and has a CRO-MAGS cover to lay on you troglodytic fucks. It’s pretty rad. The circle pit isn’t a frequent sight at the D.C., so get educated and run around.
Headlining were local heroes RAMMING SPEED, who have been bestowed the honour of being a possible gay porno title by The A.V. Club for their year-in review of band names. I’m sure they gained about 54 new fans as a result.
 RAMMING SPEED, Thrash with a purpose. Unintentional jokey name. Or is it? Imagine you took the Party Hard attitude of ANDREW W.K. but turned party rock into party thrash, with a good helping of pizza and perhaps carrots, and proclamations of ’SHANE EMBURY being the Brad Pitt of grindcore’. It’s true, go listen. While RAMMING SPEED do everything they do in good fun, there’s some serious talent bubbling under the comedic skin. Major shreddage, vocals that vary from Thrash shouts to Death Growls and even some well-done highs, drumming that can go from standard speed-metal to extreme blasting, and not to mention the fact that they can keep up with themselves and not fuck up. It’s a recipe that’s best drunk in large quantities and with friends around.
 RAMMING SPEED’s new album “Doomed To Destroy, Destined To Die” drops on Prosthetic Records later this spring! You know, this marks a rare occurrence; I’ve reviewed a show the day after it happened. Golly, I’m making my comeback. This is the year of the gutter rat, and I’m doing well everywhere except mothafuckin’ school. Kill pigs, have fun.
By Sean “That Black Metal Dude” Genovese
Tags: 'SHANE EMBURY is the Brad Pitt of grindcore', ANDREW W.K., Cambridge MA, circle pits, CRO-MAGS covers, crossover, Darkest Hour, DRAIZE, hardcore, IRON REAGAN, LANDPHIL, local heroes RAMMING SPEED, metal, metal versus punk cultures, METH VALLEY, municipal waste, neo-thrash, party hard- thrash harder, Prosthetic Records, punk, Ramming Speed, reviews by “That Black Metal Dude”, Ryan Parrish, super-groups, the dance moves of punkers, The Democracy Center, tony foresta
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Thursday, January 24th, 2013
The Divinity of Purpose (Razor & Tie)
I do like HATEBREED, but honestly, my favorite record by them has been 2002′s Perseverance. It’s not that The Rise of Brutality or Supremacy weren’t good, and I do give them props for trying to stretch a bit on their self-titled. It’s just that none of those records “grabbed” me like Perseverance did. However, I am happy to say that their latest, The Divinity of Purpose, has me excited as the first time I heard Perseverance, and I’ll be playing this one about as much.
They haven’t changed stylistically and JAMEY JASTA is still hardcore/metal’s most earnest life-coach. This time around, however, they are showing that “maturity” doesn’t mean slowing or dumbing down. It means that you can throw down the gauntlet confidently and get the job done, while staying true to your sound with maximum dexterity and minimal wiping of brow. To put it more succinctly, The Divinity of Purpose is the HATEBREED record that finally lives up to its own hype. Sure, all of their records have heart and passion, but sometimes it seemed like they were trying a little too hard. Now, with years of recording, touring and side projects under their belt, and the return of guitarist WAYNE LOZINAK, they’re a taut, seasoned machine. There is a audible strut on this record that should move even those who have been underwhelmed by HATEBREED overall. In their latest bio, JASTA affirmed that they….
“…were going for a bigger sound…This time around, we played to our strengths as a band and gelled incredibly. The riffs had to be really heavy, memorable, and catchy. The rhythms needed to be pounding. I went back into drill sergeant mode vocally. I focused on saying what I had to say and got in and out. The music makes its point and leaves its mark. It’s a tight snapshot of the last two years.”
He is 100% right, and The Divinity of Purpose really is a winner. The opening track is the old-school style bruiser “Put It To The Torch” with some great lines: “It took no heart, pierced through so clear/More verbal piss in the well of your fear/Here’s your apology, here’s to burning out/And here’s to fading away/Fuck you both, I just put it to the torch”. Lyrically, the second track “Honor Never Dies” is a nod to those who served our country, who are often thanked for their service with abandonment. Other bands might have been inclined to add vocal drama or soft/hard musical dynamics to illustrate the point. Jasta, true to his style, instead focuses on the acceptance of a life’s purpose rather than lamenting over the lack of recognition. The band does add a melodic guitar line in the chorus, but otherwise it’s a metalcore stompfest throughout. “Own Your World” is a gang-vocal party, with stutter stops and charging guitars. It will remind one very much of “I Will Be Heard”, but that’s not a bad thing. “The Language” starts off with the breakdown before it drops into the signature HATEBREED sound with some more gang-vocals. “Before the Fight” is a tight, catchy, grooving number that will definitely get your head bobbing as the band goes back and forth between mid-tempo and breakneck while making it seem all too easy. The punky “Indivisible” will definitely get the pit moving and the crowd singing along. “Dead Man Breathing” is straight-up mid-tempo Metal, no doubt influenced by Jasta’s stint with KINGDOM OF SORROW, and it crushes. Heavy and with some melodic guitar lines and a cool but short breakdown. Without knowing it was a HATEBREED song, you would think it was one of Jasta’s side projects. The title track puts bassist Chris Beattie in the forefront with a very catchy riff that reminded me of the band SHELTER if they were more Metal. “Nothing Scars Me” again shows off the bands ability to shift tempos with ease and adding some more melodic guitar runs. “Bitter Truth” has a tight-ass swagger that is a good example of great Metalcore for those who give short-shrift to it. “Boundless (Time To Murder It)” is straight-forward and features some actual singing by Jasta. However, like all of the other not-so-usual-for-HATEBREED moves on this record it is just right, in the right spots, and the breakdown will make you punch your Granny. “Idolized and Vilified” is pretty restrained for a closer, but, as they demonstrate throughout this release, they are confident enough as a band to where they can avoid doing the obvious and pull it off.
Lyrically, I really enjoyed this record. As mentioned previously, Jasta sticks to what he known to do, and that is to write positive, uplifting lyrics, but often I felt he was pleading for you to be positive, independent and strong, and when he wasn’t pleading, he was being trite. Now, he really has found his groove, and has the maturity and life experience to keep that vibe, but add depth to the lyrics that he didn’t reach previously. He has found a good balance between having a lyrical flow and just shouting lines that are easy to remember and great for crowd sing-a-longs. The production, by ZEUSS, JOSH WILBUR and the band is crisp and big. This has their best drum sound to date, and the guitar combo of LOZINAK and FRANK NOVINEC is tight and bristling with energy and the vocals sit just right in the mix.
If you’re a fan, this record should put you over the moon. For those who greet each new HATEBREED release with a ‘meh’, you might want to give this one a spin – I’m pretty sure you’ll like it enough to spin it again.
 HATEBREED: Killing you loudly with positivity. GRADE: B+
by Lynn Jordan
Tags: bassist Chris Beattie, crowd sing-a-longs, FRANK NOVINEC, great lyrics, groove, guitarist WAYNE LOZINAK, hardcore, HATEBRREED, jamey jasta, JOSH WILBUR, keeping it positive, Kingdom of Sorrow, metal, metalcore, perseverance, razor & tie, SHELTER, Supremacy, The Divinity of Purpose, The Rise of Brutality, Zeuss
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Monday, December 10th, 2012
Royale, Boston, MA
The Royale Nightclub’s website specifically states that formal dress is required, and yet they seem open to hosting Metal and Hardcore shows. I’m sure you’re aware they attract people that sometimes don’t bathe as well as the normal clientele, or at least dress in a manner that suggests this fact. The Royale should have no right to judge since its locale is so nondescript on the exterior that one would be forgiven for missing it entirely while looking right at it. Even I, who had seen it a month prior before THE GHOST INSIDE show was having a hard time believing this was indeed the place that pit warfare was set to occur. Located next to a grubby convenience store and boasting the outside of a hotel suffering from cognitive dissonance, surrounded by Hardcore kids, you’d be shocked to see the largely rose hues adorning the walls of the interior. Just goes to show one can’t judge by appearances, at least for buildings. Just assume someone’s dying in any building you set your sights on, basically.
The inside of the Royale is such that you’re almost made more eager to start smashing things once the riff gate opens. Fancy chairs for those who would rather stay unharmed, Patrón on the rocks, and the aforementioned pink lighting performing an unrestrained waltz of chromatic liberty with splashes of lavender. I had a most wonderful conversation with a security guard about being careful in Dorchester for a few minutes, since apparently I’d make an ideal target for roving packs of gangbangers, but this is common sense and he was wasting his time. I humoured him regardless. Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful, baldie.
Before I digress any further: this place was just ripe for the blood, sweat, and tears approach to Hardcore that CONVERGE brings. The type of Hardcore that openers WHIPS/CHAINS bring is lacking in that, however.
They have everything that I enjoy in bands like ALL PIGS MUST DIE, NAILS, and CURSED: sludgy production, riffs draped in unveiled malice fired from cannons of “fuck you”, vocals from the void, and pounding drums matched only by subterranean rumblings. Though they possess the skill and anger of the bands I just mentioned, something sounds out of place, and I just can’t get into it. Blame it on overexposure to bands that have done it before, and maybe I do indeed have no room left for another band that sounds like COALESCE swimming in an oil spill with members of BOLT THROWER. In the meantime, I’ll just leave it at the fact that they’re good, probably even great, but at the moment I’m not into it.
Following W/C were local hatemongers NEW LOWS, whose lyrics revolve around being mad and other negative things. Having not seen NEW LOWS since a matinee show some time ago, I was eager to see how they’re doing these days, and hoping that they’re still as pissed off as they were before. By Jove, they haven’t changed, and I love it. The crowd was luckily the type that either appreciated NEW LOWS or simply liked what they heard, so I didn’t have to feel like my going all-out for them would be seen as unnecessary roughness. This being the first time seeing NEW LOWS in such a large venue, it was almost bizarre having so much space within which to perform my normal drowning-in-air ministrations. No gimmicks, no hype, just piss.
Up next were everyone’s favourite Black’n’Rollers KVELERTAK, mainly because not many other bands make Black’n’Roll so fun. KVELERTAK hail from frøstbitten Nørway, though their musical output does much to warm the blood of audiences they play to. Having recently played Fun Fun Fun Fest with they’re showing no signs of quitting any time soon. From the ultra-energetic opener “Ulvetid”, to hymn-for-the-imbibed closer “Mjød”, not a single song let the energy die down. The mosh action was hilariously inappropriate for the band, though they are a mix of Black Metal er… Metal-ness and the driving rhythms of Hardcore and Punk, one wouldn’t expect two-stepping to rule the roost. Nonetheless, everyone seemed to be having a great time shouting along, crowdsurfing, and of course, spilling the beer they had bought merely minutes ago.
 KVELERTAK: Black’n’Roll. Party Time. Excellent.  TORCHE: Not afraid to have fun. Self-proclaimed “Stoner-Pop” band TORCHE arrived to cool things down, and I solemnly swear that I don’t think it’s funny that the name directly contradicts what they did. By the time they rolled around, the crowd had grown at least twice as large as it was during KVELERTAK, showing just how much pull they alone had for the evening. I even know a couple of people who would have gone mainly for Torche, if not only just for them. In their generous set time they showed off their Miami-brewed blend of the heaviness they take from Stoner/Sludge Metal while infused with the lighter harmonies of Indie leanings. Comparable acts are THE SWORD and RED FANG, though TORCHE is definitely the silliest of the three, and thus I like them best. The only issue I had with TORCHE this time around, having seen them before, was the vocals, since they weren’t as strong as I remembered them being. This was a small issue, since all of the other elements were in their prime: The guitars were heavy, the drums were on target, and the atmosphere was that just-right juxtaposition of having your head dunked in a bucket of syrup and taking a pleasant swim in clear water. On a completely unrelated note, I positively adored their DESCENDENTS rip-off tee of the “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up” album featuring baby Milo sporting a Jane Doe shirt, with the title “Torche Goes On Tour With Converge”. Had I a few extra bucks to spend, I would buy it at a high price.
 Editor’s note: This is the best shirt of 2012 Set List:
Pirana
Kicking
Reverse Inverted
Grenades
Healer
Across the Shields
Charge of the Brown Recluse
Tarpit Carnivore
And now, for the pièce de résistance, the crème de la crème, and other French phrases one uses to express delight at the part of a meal one is most excited for: CONVERGE, the superheroes of Massachusetts Hardcore.
 I weep for those who haven’t bought this album yet. I’ve known about CONVERGE since I was 13 years old, having heard their song “Last Light” on an Epitaph compilation CD. Being musically stupid at the time and thinking that LINKIN PARK were THE rock band to listen to, I absolutely hated it. I hated the vocals, the production, the song structure, everything. It was one of my least liked songs on that compilation next to “Forever Young” by YOUTH GROUP. It took me about 4-5 years to grow up and realize the error of my ways, and “Last Light” began to grow on me. The dynamics of balancing vulnerable emotion and chaotic rage finally struck a chord within me, and I just got it. After listening to Jane Doe and No Heroes, I was swayed to the side of good. It’s a shame it took ages for the real message to stick, but better late than never.
So fast forward to 2012, and there I was greatly fearing injury, yet at the same time accepting that it was quite inevitable. My prediction, as some of you may know, came true; My worries were made manifest as an elbow to the left eye and nose, and the lesser torments of repeated kicks to the skull from stagedivers, though fear not, any damage incurred has been repaired… or has it? I still worry whenever I make slips of the tongue that were more easily avoided prior to this experience. And yes, dear reader, I was, in the parlance of our times, “knocked the fuck out”, and I must say that the quick nap I took due to the sheer dizziness of that attack gave me the strength I needed to stagedive for “The Broken Vow”. The “dive to prove I’m alive” manœuver, as it was so cleverly termed by a Spaniard, proved quite effective.
 CONVERGE: We are too scared of them to make a witty comment.
It was a phenomenal set. They played a lot of greats, opening with “Concubine” and “Dark Horse” just to get the audience churning themselves into a mass of flannel, flesh, and hatred. It was no-mans land in the middle of that pit, and even the outermost perimeter did not by any means make one safe from flying limbs. Jacob Bannon kept the people energized by reminding us just how crazy Boston can get even if we are past those golden years of Hardcore, throwing out the names of COLIN OF ARABIA, and some others I forgot because I took many blows to the head, remember. The Metalheads, Punks, and Hardcore kids of Boston may be divided on the surface, but it takes a great band like CONVERGE to bring them all together.
It’s all a whirlwind of fists, loud noises, and bloodshed. I’m sure I accidentally punched someone in the face, and to you, I apologize. It was all in the spirit of the moment, and if you weren’t committing some violent act or on the receiving end of one, then you probably wasted your time and money going. Some gladly kept the action going even when the music had stopped, and JACOB (BANNON) insisted that if you happened to be caught onstage not stagediving, waiting for the next song, then you were probably not using your time wisely. Of course, he said it in a more imperative fashion, but that’s just my spin on it, you see.
 CONVERGE is headlining what might be called the best show of 2013…
I’m beginning to ramble, but that’s what happens when I love a show so much that I can scarcely put into factual terms just how monumental it was. CONVERGE’s homecoming was a magnificent dithyramb of naked fury, and no amount of hyperbole will surpass what everyone in that room felt that night during that final dissonant breakdown of “Last Light”. I don’t know about you, but there was no sound in the heavens sweeter than that disfigured chord at the time, and I shall admit that I shed some manly tears, thus causing lions made of dragons to be born from exploding stars. When they announced they were encoring with “The Saddest Day”, it was quite unwise to be near the stage for those 7 minutes, as you ran the risk of having your head dropkicked off by some errant punk. Practicing caution and raising my arm at key moments was instrumental to my being alive to relay this tale to you, reader, so always wear a dental dam at a CONVERGE show.
In the aftermath, it was discovered that there were no casualties, though few who actively participated came out without some form of soreness or bleeding. I made it out with a not-too-noticeable lump on the bridge of my nose. One person completely missed the crowd during a stagedive, and the floor shook a bit from his landing on his back, so I’d hate to be that guy waking up for work or school the next day. No pain, no gain, you’re DAVE MUSTAINE. Next time CONVERGE roll around, which is hopefully soon, if they’re indeed gonna be getting back to their normal lives in the illest colonial city of them all, I’ll make sure I get legitimately banged up. In the meantime, I must procrastinate and forget to do things, as usual. Ciao, bella.
Set List:
Concubine
Dark Horse
Heartless
Aimless Arrow
Trespasses
Bitter and Then Some
All We Love We Leave Behind
Sadness Comes Home
My Unsaid Everything
Glacial Pace
Cutter
Worms Will Feed/Rats Will Feast
Tender Abuse
On My Shield
Axe to Fall
Empty on the Inside
Eagles Become Vultures
The Broken Vow
First Light
Last Light
Encore:
The Saddest Day
By Sean Genovese
Tags: All Pigs Must Die, black metal, Bolt Thrower, coalesce, COLIN OF ARABIA, Coliseum, Converge, cursed, DESCENDENTS, hardcore, Hardcore shows at foofy clubs, Jacob Bannon, Jane Doe and No Heroes, KEVIN HART, Kvelertak, moshing, nails, NEW LOWS, punk, Red Fang, ROYALE, sludge, stage diving, Stoner, The Metal Army Blog, the sword, Torche, violence, WHIPS/CHAINS
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Tuesday, November 27th, 2012
The Palladium, Worcester, MA
The Bro Show Of The Year: Death Is The Only Mortal CD Release show at the Worcester Palladium
So I may have lied, seeing as TERROR/BANE was just this summer, but I wasn’t able to make it out to that, so going with what I know here. Windbreakers, flat-brimmed caps, plugged ears, pullover sweaters, jerseys, and square logos over the left breast were out in full force. ‘Twas a sight to see for anyone unfamiliar with the basic HxC dress code, indeed. Having gotten my ticket quite literally at the last minute, I was able to take my place in the mating ritual one calls a Hardcore show. Buckle up, cos this ride’s for alpha males only.
Opening up the festivities, just as I arrived were DYSENTERY, the most metal band on the line-up, which did little to prevent five people from being knocked out, to say nothing of the countless nosebleeds within the first few minutes. Some kids there obviously didn’t really know any DYSENTERY songs, but still stirred things up during the slamdowns. Such good sports, making total destroy to the soothing ballad-esque “Genocidal God”, and raising some friendly ruckus to the closing song, “Devourer Of The Dead”. Much appreciated by the band, and anyone there who liked to move. Up next should have been RUDE AWAKENING, who had come all the way from Merrimack Valley to play as a local act, but unfortunately the band got into a bit of a kerfuffle with Palladium staff, and as a result couldn’t play at a venue where they had just freshly knocked someone the fuck out. Their loyal hometown fan base was understandably a little angry, and the fallout would precipitate throughout the rest of the show in the form of crowdkilling.
I neglected to do research on NO BRAGGING RIGHTS before the show, but their combination of stay-positive Melodic Hardcore with heavy chugging breakdowns to wake up any unaware made for an entertaining set. They brought a lot of energy to their stage presence, and even had a little of that clean vocal stuff that was in short supply for the other bands. Following them was FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, an example of what Deathcore should ideally sound like; equal parts the blasting fury of Death Metal and breakdowns that make you feel bad for not moving to.
 FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY- Photo by Jeremy Saffer
FitFo, as they are often called, have exploded in recent times, possibly helped by having NATE JOHNSON of THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD fame (ca. Malice) on vocals. Add to this a group of musicians who have a good idea of how to play extreme music and you have a good band overall that both Metal and Hardcore people can enjoy without feeling the guilt I assume most women associate with chocolate while dieting. I’m not terribly familiar with any songs of theirs aside from “The Jackal”, and am moderately acquainted with “The Conqueror”, so I’m not a person to have an in-depth FitFo conversation with. Seeing as they book-ended their set with the two aforementioned tracks, I was able to react at the most opportune times, so thanks for that, guys. Aside from nearly losing a shoe in the circle pit, all went well, and we lived happily ever after until I DECLARE WAR came and burned down my village.
I DECLARE WAR was one of the bands I was actually excited to see despite reports and some preliminary hearings of their new material being unworthy of being listened to even when you’re bored and just want to hear a meaningless breakdown. It would be an understatement if I simply said I was “let down” by their performance. They played “Putrefaction Of The Population” too slow, they played “New Age Holocaust” too slow, and new boy fucked up the vocals with his own improvisations instead of sticking to the semi-growl formula that makes them identifiable. New boy also demanded an old-school circle pit, which was damn pointless because there was only about 5 seconds worth of circle-pit material in the song they played. Definitely not worth almost tripping yet again. The crowd was half-hearted in their reception of IDW, and it’s a bad sign when even an established Deathcore band can’t get an audience moving enthusiastically all the way through their set.
Our saviours in CRUEL HAND were there in due time to rinse the bad taste left in our mouths with what I can confidently call literal non-stop action. They are notorious for their rowdy live set, and I can see why after experiencing it first-hand. Ye gods, it’s one thing to pre-game mosh, but a whole 5 minutes of silent throwdown while the band sets up and has some random symphonic music playing in the background has to be a unique phenomenon. These stretching exercises completed, the HAND came out and ripped their fair share of face, with crunchy Thrash Metal riffing colliding headfirst with the intensity and drum-patterns of New York Hardcore at its finest. If I had been more knowledgeable of the band’s output aside from some songs on Lock And Key and Prying Eyes I would have gone about half as balls-out insane as the rest of the guys there, though I’m considering myself lucky to have gotten out with only the hardest kick in the cojones I’ve experienced. Seeing some people walk out with blood streaked down the front of their shirt and face like a bucket of paint was spilled on them from above did wonders to remind me how fortunate I was in the end. A five-minute sit-down was in order, and I’m proud to report that I did not piss blood that night. Here’s to hoping I can see CRUEL HAND again, and if I am indeed injured, that it isn’t facial or genital.
The grand ministers of this whole shindig, THE ACACIA STRAIN, proudly celebrating the release their fifth full-length in their home state of Massachusetts, took the stage as yet another silent mosh was underway to establish the perimeter of the killzone. I’ll start by saying that if you thought THE ACACIA STRAIN was heavy before, you’re in for a surprise with the new album. If one had the energy, they could dance all the way through, with pauses only for the moments between songs or transitioning to another breakdown. TAS, being gentlemen and not wanting to wear everyone out or misspend precious time on songs that few would know aside from thieves, only played “Doomblade” and “Dust and the Helix” from Death Is The Only Mortal, and mostly built their set from fan-favorites with quotable lines like “Dr. Doom”, “See You Next Tuesday”, “JFC”, and the like. Along with having a killer set list, Vincent proved his strength as a front man by encouraging the crowd to let loose, commanding everyone to stagedive at least once. I, being a gentleman, wouldn’t let the man down, so I did my part in inconveniencing the front-most rows during “Passing The Pencil Test”. It’s a wonder TAS aren’t allowed to play the upstairs Palladium more often, since the crowd simply thrives more under conditions that allow up-close interaction with the hatemonger Bennett himself. In a barrier-less setting, TAS not only sound better and taste better, but seem more energized and vital, and Vincent’s words resonate more effectively. There’s also potential for disastrous hilarity, but none of that made itself known.
The Palladium seems to be making more of a conscious effort to end shows early, since JFC ended at precisely 10:30, giving everyone more time to mill about after the show, trade stories of how many scene kid were knocked out, and just reflect on the good time that was had. For any who stuck around long enough after the dust settled, they could get a picture with Vincent himself, most likely to carry in their wallet and pretend they know him personally or whatever else you do with pictures of band members. Ah yes, the point of writing this whole review was to relay the fact that I survived, and am able to continue wasting your time for years to come. Until the next review, cheers.
 Sean Genovese, Vincent Bennett and a friend. by Sean “That Black Metal Dude” Genovese
Tags: cruel hand, Death is the Only Mortal album, Deathcore, DL, DYSENTERY, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, hardcore, i declare war, NATE JOHNSON of THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD, RUDE AWAKENING, scene kids, TAS, the acacia strain, Thrash Metal, VINCENT BENNET, “JFC”
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Tuesday, November 27th, 2012
Visiting Hours EP (Self- Released)
Awesome bands from California are just coming out of the woodwork lately. It’s a good thing too. California is always known as the “land of sunshine” and Disney, but as always, there is a darkside to that. Bands have been exploring the seedy underbelly of society through music and presenting different points of view for ages. From SoCal Hardcore, metal and other underground subsets of musical styles with new bands lighting the way all the time. One such band is COLOMBIAN NECKTIE, who are straight off the streets of LA in their delivery and character.
Riding high after a summer split-single with SEIZURES, this EP sees the band stepping up their game even more. Playing a self professed style called “negative metal”, the band has a lot of vitriol, but backs it up with intelligence. From walls of feedback, angular riffs, beastly heavy drums and shrieked vocals, they present a fierce package. The band couches everything they do with all of the smarts, but none of the lame snark of their many peers in the scene, which is refreshing. They will remind you at first listen of of TRAP THEM‘s musical approach, CONVERGE’s early years, or a more sophisticated style of other the current heavy Hardcore/Crust bands. “What A Drag” launches full throtle into bleak hysterical ranting and a crush of beats. Vocalist Tom Koücheravy just wails on every line like it’s going to be his last and matches the ferocity of the songs perfectly. “Michelangelo’s Destruction of Adam (On The Floor)” is another hostile volley of chords and drums. Guitarists Ben Daniel and Juan Hernandez play a combo of straight-ahead riffs blended with avant-guard, Los Angeles bred oddness. Shredded Crop Circles” is my favorite song on this release, with its brooding Sludge riffs and dramatic overtones. It also showcases drummer Bennett Erickson’s ability to lay back and groove as much as he shreds on the other tracks. “Lazy Bones” closes things out with a lot of style. This even more downtuned bruiser will make your heart uncomfortable and your head dizzy with a grinding, headnodding roar. The last minute and a half of the song just pummels and you get a sense how this music will knock people down live. Following this EP release I’m really looking forward to a full-length, hopefully in 2013.
 COLOMBIAN NECKTIE does not fuck around, period. GRADE: B+
by Keith (Keefy) Chachkes
Tags: Avant garde sounds, blackened hardcore, California Metal bands, colombian necktie, Converge, Crust punk, D-Beat, drummer Bennett Erickson, grooves, hardcore, Lead guitarist Ben Daniel, Los Angeles scene, nails, split-single with SEIZURES, The Metal Army Blog, thrash, Trap Them, Visiting Hours EP, vocalist Tom Koücheravy, Weird guitarist Juan Hernandez, weirdness, “negative metal”
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Thursday, July 26th, 2012
Live At the House of Blues, Boston MA
The Pit Is Fucking Alive.
Let’s just start by giving a big round of applause to everyone who, despite the known presence of secret police in Boston who aim to stop people from having fun, made this night a show to remember. (Editor’s note: check our own take on the moshing ban in Boston here.) One of the most important Punk tours of the decade no doubt, with a touch of political and social dissent. Spit in the face of authority and let loose.
Starting off the festivities was OFF!, fronted by the legendary Keith Morris, some old balding dreadlocked bastard from bands you’ve never heard of including BLACK FLAG and THE CIRCLE JERKS, along with cast-offs from failures like ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT, REDD KROSS, and other stuff no one cares about. All joking aside, this here is a group of seasoned musicians who know what they’re doing. It usually helps your live show when you’re skilled, I hear.
 The legendary Punk Icon himself: KEITH MORRIS of OFF! In OFF!’s 45 minute (or hour) long set, I’m pretty sure they actually played almost every song in their two LP/an EP or four discography. This despite the fact that Morris, being an embattled veteran of the Punk scene as well as fairly aged, he’s seen a lot, done a lot, is fed up with a lot, and is unafraid to make a rousing speech the likes of which follower HENRY ROLLINS could have borrowed his style from. These elements come together to make a refreshingly old school sound that’s not dating itself.
Once they hit the stage and began setting up, I was apprehensive as to the energy level, and if my fellow crowd members would be willing to break free of the constraints so flimsily placed by the friendly neighborhood BPD. For the first few songs, there was a curtain of nervousness in the air as Morris and Co. bandied about, letting loose while the audience gazed furtively at itself, hoping that someone would make a move to break the metaphorical ice. It almost goes without saying that high energy Punk Rock goes a long way to bring about the emotional climate for rule-breaking and general not-giving-a-fuck-ness. By the third or fourth song, all pretense was dropped, and the circle pit was it.
In between bombardments by ancient Punk rhythms and seething vitriol, one could catch a glimmer of Morris’ humble nature, and his unwillingness to think himself higher than anyone despite the fact that he’s led a much more interesting life than your average punx. It’s this humility and good nature that leads to fans being able to get pictures and just have a nice chat with the man.
 KEITH MORRIS and Metal Army America staff writer Sean Genovese.
About a half an hour before Umeå, Sweden’s own left-wing singer-songwriter gentlemen REFUSED officially began their set, the crowd began to notice that instead of random rock tunes playing over the stereo as normal, it was some odd low droning ambiance that put a disturbing atmosphere over the venue. It gradually grew louder with every passing minute, and when the time came, the crowd took its position, pointed directly at the stage where a large black curtain was draped over the band as they clandestinely set up. As the drone intensified, it began to resemble a long sustained guitar chord. With time, the ambient sound created a mixture of fear, anticipation, and a sort of battle readiness for the oncoming insanity. Lights over the stage, we realized, were panning ever so slowly down toward the crowd, practically turning in step with the increasing loudness of the ambiance. As the sound and lights swelled to full realization and the lights overhead dimmed, the crowd could see that the black curtain had REFUSED cut out of it as the light shone through.
The energy from OFF!’s set was great, but as soon as REFUSED opened with “Worms Of The Senses/ Faculties Of The Skull”, the floor became a veritable feeding ground where tooth and claw ruled the scene, and those who could not fight were destroyed in seconds. One thing about this show that was particularly amazing was that not only was everyone into it, but the sheer diversity of people attending who all just got it. There were Metalheads, -Core kids with swoopy hair, old school NxYxHxC looking guys, huge besweatered Hardcore bros with flatbill caps, dyed/bleached punx in leather jackets with skulls on them, you name it. To shout words of protest alongside a smorgasbord of countercultures is truly empowering.
 The set was varied enough, considering their discography currently stands at five EPs and three LPs. Though I am disappointed that they don’t play anything off This Just Might Be… The Truth (namely “Pump The Brakes”), their most heavy and straightforward release, I feel as though it ultimately wouldn’t mesh well with the material from The Shape Of Punk To Come and Songs To Fan The Flames Of Discontent, which lean towards a sort of Post-Hardcore/Experimental Rock sound, but have just enough heaviness and hard-hitting aggression to merit their place among the Punk/Hardcore greats of history. From the two-step swing of “Summerholidy vs Punkroutine” to the cannonading lyrical assault of “Refused Are Fucking Dead” (my personal favourite), and the turncoat anthem “Coup D’Etat”, all coupled with vocalist Dennis Lyxzén musing on how prophetic his lyrics of top-down oppression are in hindsight. It was all around a spectacular showcase of how Punk Rock is not just three chords and an angry British or Californian man shouting about the impending police state. Take some notes from the seminal volume Songwriting Tips For Anarchists, by U. Kuhnt, which simply contains the words “OPPRESSORS: FUCK OFF” in large, bold, red print, and listen to some REFUSED. You’ll be much wiser for it. In the meantime, should REFUSED repeat this tour, being fully active once again since 1998, and you for any reason missed this, your redemption shall come swift as an assassin’s blade under cover of night.
 Someone lost a shoe in the madness of the mosh pit.
To whoever lost the shoe pictured above, I’m sure it was well worth the small loss. It’s silhouette stands out among the appeased horde cheering one of the most important Punk bands of modern times making its return like phoenices from ashes long forgotten, faintly resembling the shape of an axe, which I’ll allow you, the reader, to mark with some obtuse political symbolism. I’m stumped, if you ask me.
by Sean “That Black Metal Dude” Genovese
Tags: Black Flag, Boston bands moshing, Concert Reviews by MAA, crossover, hardcore, henry rollins, keith morris, metal, metal army america, Off, punk, REDD KROSS, REFUSED, ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT, THE CIRCLE JERKS, The Shape of Punk To Come
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