OutbreakThese guys have put Maine on the map, and although they are barely out of their 20's, they have already released 2 buzzworthy EP's and have toured relentlessly around the US and abroad over the last 5 years. And here we are present day with their latest offering of driving old school influenced hardcore...
As the old saying goes, "Don't fix what isn't broke". The 16 tracks of blazing punk influenced hardcore range from 30 seconds to 1:45, and clocks out just over 20 minutes. These guys do a great job of keeping things from getting boring, which is usually a problem for this brand of hardcore halfway through a full length.
The lyrics are still pissed off, but there isn't as much venom in the words as there was on "You Make Us Sick." Don't get me wrong, they're still plenty pissed, but their isn't any of the fuck you anthems, but I guess you can't regurgitate the same shit over and over. Things are a bit more introspective this time around. Ryan shows us a little more of what makes him tick. One thing I always liked about his lyrics was that he focused on quality rather than filler, he keeps shit short and to the point.
This was recorded and produced at the Outpost by Jim Siegal, who is arguably the biggest recording name in hardcore. And as you would expect, he did good with "Failure". Even though, "You Make Us Sick," (recorded by Don Fury) sounded good it was a bit to dry and lacked the much needed kick in the balls. This time around however, things sound a lot more full, most notably the bass, which really gets the proper attention. And hell if the recording doesn't showcase Ryan's balls out vocals. He did a wonderful job of capturing the bands intense live sound. Very good.
Holy shit is the layout on this one awesome. I always preferred the actual drawing as opposed to the photoshop stuff, and this is a great example of why. The cover art is a great drawing that shows a guy dressed in his corporate attire with a knife in hand surrounded by some super bad ass demons, and there's also a lantern filled with trapped souls which only adds to the awesomeness. I couldn't have asked for a better layout for the booklet. You get all of the lyrics with a full page picture of each member besides the lyrics, and right in the middle there is dual page picture of the crowd piling onto the singer for a sing along. And CD face layout looks fucking sick as shit with the three eyed demon on it. Good shit. And just look at those colors, I couldn't have asked for more.
Rating: 4/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: Down Not Out, Losing Streak, Voices In My Head
Thesis: This is definitely be one of the more talked about releases of the summer, and rightfully so. These guys churn out 16 tracks of blazing hardcore fury, with some of the most pissed off vocals you'll ever hear, and on top of that the packaging is tight as hell. Make sure to add this one to your collections if you haven't already.