HC FamiliaThis is a four way split between Justin The Cook's (Off Balance) label, Hatecore Records and Honest For Truth Records based out of Budapest, Hungary. It is a four way split with Off Balance (USA), Questions (Brazil), Propia Actitud (Mex), and Slang (Japan). When I first got this in the mail I thought it was a seven inch but I was greatly mistaken; it is a seven inch sleeve (which is double sided and contains the band's information on the inside) that contains a CD in a paper sleeve that was printed out to look like a record. It also comes with a nice paper booklet that contains the lyrics to all the songs, as well as pictures of the bands and shit. When it's all said and done there are 20 tracks with every band offering up at least one cover.
Starting things off with 6 songs (technically it is seven because track seven includes covers of "Sick People" by Breakdown and a cover of Madball/Agnostic Front's "It's My Life") is Off Balance who plays a meaty style of hardcore akin to Insult To Injury. That comparison is also easily heard in the vocals, The Cook has a delivery that is very similar to ITI's front man, which in my book is a good thing. There is no shortage of chugging mid paced rhythms to nod your head to.
I enjoyed the samples that they used to start off every song, they definitely fit into the lyrical theme of the songs very nicely. And I got to say, I really enjoyed the lyrics; they are blunt and negative as fuck, there is no silver lining to be found here, the shit is bleak and negative, that's all there is to it.
Next up, and perhaps the most surprising band of the bunch is Questions who play hardcore that is heavily influenced by metal, particularly of the thrash variety. Unfortunately, they offer up the fewest tracks, only three of their own, as well as a cover of Discharge's "Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing" but that's okay because I will take quality over quantity any day. They keep the songs short and pack them with tons of energy. They keep the tempo pretty high until they masterfully sneak a hard-hitting breakdown in. The guitar work isn't anything mind blowing but it is effective and has mean tone, as does the bass. I would definitely be interested in hearing more material from these guys up.
Contributing tracks 11-15 is the Mexican outfit, Propia Actitud. Honestly, I couldn't get into these guys much, they showed some promise here and there but they play a more straight ahead style of hardcore yet they have the longest songs of any band on here which detracts greatly from the flow of their material, as does their hip hop interludes which contribute nothing to the flow of the songs. Their lyrics are in Spanish so I have no fucking idea what they are talking about, except for their cover of Warzone's "Don't Forget The Struggle", which is hands down their best contribution to this split.
Closing the split off with tracks 16-20 is Slang who is definitely worth listening to. I don't know what they put in the water over in Japan but I need to get me some! I swear, there isn't many Japanese bands that I've heard that I don't like. And these guys do a fantastic job of blending their metal influence with hardcore. They just plow through their songs in devastating fashion, leaving you little time to get bored. They effectively use solos and leads (the ending of "Moment" is a great example of this). And their vocalist sounds menacing, it's just a shame that his vocals were mixed a bit too low. Oh, and these mother fuckers tear the shit out of Ripcord's "Single Ticket To Hell" (amazing selection guys!) and Negative Approach's "Ready To Fight".
Rating: 3.5/5
Songs Worthy of Replay:
Off Balance-"Emotional Wreck"
Questions-"Feed The Machine"
Propia Actitud-"Leccion De Vida"
Slang-"Moment"
Synopsis: Other than Propia Actitud, all the bands are extremely solid and enjoyable to listen to. I really liked the unique and DIY packaging direction that the labels took with this one, and shit this mother fucker is only $4!!! I would definitely recommend you to pick this up with you like the heavier variety of hardcore.
Hatecore Records MySpace
Hatecore Records Website
Honest For Truth Records