HellholeThey came.. they saw... they ripped. That could easily sum up how these guys from New Brunswick, NJ approach their hardcore punk. This seven inch rips through the space time continuum, delivering 8 songs in just over 8 minutes. The shit is solid as gold, no two ways about that. I'm not even going to bother trying to compare these guys to another band, it wouldn't do them justice. The songs have the slightest thrash undertone but don't that trip you up, it is no frills hardcore/punk that is unrelenting in it's delivery. They shift the tempos just enough, in the right places to keep your ears attentive.
The lyrics read as if they were taken from the journal of a pent up mad man who is hell bent on keeping himself locked away from anything resembling a human. Just what hardcore needs some more of, genuine hate for mankind. More negativity the better because the world is never going to get better anyway.
This is from the opening track, "Detained"--
"Sit in my room and lock the door. Stay inside to hide from it all. Everything outside is what I despise. People are shit and I don't want to deal with it. The world gets worse with each passing day. So I'll stay inside and continue to hide away."
Everything sounds pretty good for the most part on this recording. The vocals have good placement. I would've liked a little more volume on the guitars but it'll suffice. I like the bass tone, good dirty tone. The drums (paired with the bass) do a good job of rounding of the mix.
The album is printed on a nice gloss sleeve with some crazy artwork. Almost looks like a UFO crashing through an altar or something. The record also comes with a paper insert that has a sweet drawing of rats getting bombed on the front and the lyrics on the back. Another job well done by OTBR.
Rating: 3.8/5
Songs Worthy of Replay:
Synopsis: I love the negativity displayed on this record as well as the short but memorable chops that the band lays down. If you are in search of rock solid hardcore punk with a pessimistic attitude, this should be all you.
To get your mits on a copy of this 7" you can either go through the labelor the band. Also I'm pretty sureInterpunk.com has copies. Oh yeah, and all copies come on sweet clear vinyl.