Champion/BetrayedHere we have another fine offering from the folks at Rivalry, featuring Champion, if you don’t know who these guys are you must have your head up your ass, top notch straight edge and Betrayed who feature Todd Jones of Carry On as well as Adam and Tod Prebowski from Champion. They have been making a name for themselves since they released the Addiction EP on the heralded Bridge 9. After listening to and reviewing the Go It Alone/Blue Monday split I thought there was no way this would even come close but the three new songs that both bands bring to the table are fucking quality. From the opening of Champion’s "Now Is The Time" to final fade out of Betrayed’s "Bring It To Life" this thing is filled with uplifting lyrics about making a change in your life. Yeah, I know it’s a common anthem for bands of this style but the energy of the music paired with the urgency in Betrayed’s vocals by front man Adam leave you with clinched white fists, wanting to go out and do something with the day. On Champions side of things, the three new songs on this split are some of their best. They still have their feet rooted deeply in the late 80's hardcore sound with some good use of melody to add an extra sense of urgency to their sound. Lyrically, all three of the songs deal with making a positive change in your life. The song Now Is The Time is about the hardcore scene falling victim to gossiping, divisions and violence which are all extremely relative to hardcore’s current state. The second track, Break Through is about pushing away egotistical pricks who have nothing worthwhile to say, just negativity. Their third and final song, What Will It Take is about being secure with yourself because you can’t make an outside change until you know what’s inside. All three songs are played with conviction, and the replay factor is definitely there. Betrayed’s side also consist of three new tracks, and though I’ve only heard their Addiction EP these songs are definitely the best I’ve heard. Like Champion, they also have their roots in the traditional sounds of hardcore but with a much more melodic influence than Champion. They really remind me of a modern day Dag Nasty or earlier Husker DU material, this comparison is definitely due in to part of the great vocals of Adam Arslanian who, like the band perfectly blends tasteful use of melody with driving hardcore anthems. As with Champions side of things their lyrics don’t focus as much on pure straight edge dogma rather just trying to instill some words of inspiration. Their first song, What You Have Left is an uplifting song for someone who may be on the streets or on the brink of hitting rock bottom in their lives and letting them know it’s not too late to make a change. The second song, Consequence is about catching your mistakes before they turn into "Consequences." The third and final song, Bring It To Life is one of the catchiest songs I have ever HEARD. I have probably listened to this song 30 times in the 3 days I’ve had this CD. Its letting people know as long you never abandon hope it will be alright. For me listening to that song is therapeutic, when I have a hard day I’ll usually throw on some Gorilla Biscuits or something of that nature and this song is right up there. On the production side of things, I have nothing but good things to say. The guitars sound rich and warm with plenty of clarity for the melody to ring out and just enough drive for the more heavy and driving parts. The rhythm section sounds perfect, the drums are full and the bass on both sides has a perfect tone. The vocals couldn’t have been dialed in any better. The layout, as with the GIA/BM split ties in perfect with the concept of the split. Red dominates the layout with a picture of a guy who just hit rock bottom with hope tattooed on his hand, on the back of the booklet he’s got his head in hands with a bottle of miller high life, and this time around he has fear on the other hand. Definitely ties into the straight edge beliefs of the two bands. Quality all around.
Rating: 4.5/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: Bring It To Life (Betrayed) Break Through (Champion)
Thesis: This has plenty of replay value, more than enough for you to go out and purchase it. From top to bottom, this is melodic hardcore done with the perfect amount of hardcore and use of melody to create one hell of a listening experience. And as I mentioned, Bring It To Life is one banging track.