Reign SupremeIt's funny how I was initially introduced to my fellow Philadelphia natives; it was a day like any other, I was walking down to the Center of Business and Industry at the main campus of the Community College of Philadelphia for my last class of the day, and on the Frank Rizzo bridge/walkway (if you can even call it a fucking bridge) I saw the same Reign Supreme sticker that is used on the front cover of the layout on the railing of said bridge/walkway, alongside a "Your Car Owns Your Sticker" (which I love by the way) and didn't give it much thought. Then I was doing my usual rounds on the messageboards trying to do some promo and what have you and I saw their name on a flyer in a post, so I decided to find their Myspace and check these guys out, and I definitely liked what I heard
The band released a demo in 2006 which was later released as a 7" titled "Fuck The Weak" that was released on Rock Vegas Records and not long after these guys were picked up by Deathwish Records. I got to say, I am a bit surprised that these guys got there so fast, but I guess having Jay Pepito, former guitarist of Blacklisted fronting the band didn't hurt either. Which leads me to my thoughts on this 5 song EP.
When I read what others have to say about this album, it's NYHC this, Terror, Integrity that and I won't say that none of those comparisons are 100% off base (well, I don't hear much Integrity) but I just can't help but to think of Blacklisted "Our Youth Is Wasted", especially in the guitars. The vocals don't always sound like George's but it seems at least once in every song there is a part that sounds eerily similar, which is definitely a good thing because George is one of the best in the genre. Now I noticed in the booklet that there is a George that does back up vocals but I can't imagine he appears on every song, and I can't confirm whether it's even him or not.
The recording sounds as forceful as a straight to the chin from Kimbo. The guitar tone sounds good as a mother fucker, it's not over the top heavy, which allows some additional room for the bass to breath but it's as heavy as needed. I love the placement of all things vocal and the drum tone is on the awesome side of the spectrum for sure.
I hate to keep coming back to Blacklisted but they have taken the same minimalist approach to the artwork (well, at least prior to The Beat Goes On). The front cover is simply that Reign Supreme sticker placed over some dude's mouth (Jay maybe?). The booklet folds out into three pages, the outer two are used to display pictures of all the band members except Jay (Jay is on the other side with a crowd doing a sing along). The lyrics are displayed in the middle in block fashion.
Rating: 4/5
Songs Worthy of Replay: I Stand Defiant & Unbroken
Synopsis: I wouldn't be surprised if these guys were one of the bands to blow up (by hardcore standards) over the coming months. All the ingredients are there, they have released a demo, and a 5 song EP, now all they need to do is release a full length and tour their asses off. And holy shit, Dave Heck is EVERYWHERE!
Be the judge for yourself. You like what you hear, don't be a bitch ass pussy, buy the shit.