BLACK MY HEART - Before The Devil

BLACK MY HEART
Before The Devil
Eulogy Recordings
7/10




Roughened hardcore that explores the style’s darker nature is what “Before The Devil” is made of, with vocalist Wheeler leading the charge with appropriately barbed-wire throated barks and screams. Black My Heart indulges in their fair share of chugga-chugga riffing, but their more up-tempo guitar rhythms are more reflective of thrash metal. With lines continually blurring between types of music, the group’s fury-filled material would be something that the pissed-off hardcore kids would definitely be attracted to.

“We Weren’t Brought Up Right” finds Black My Heart closing things out with a massive, Biohazard-style hardcore chant, while the frenzied, rapid beat of “What You Know About?” makes for ample pit fodder. Sometimes the vocals tend to drag behind the riffing a bit, which makes the band stand out, but at times seems out of place.

Keith Dece is a qualified basher, implementing plenty of inventiveness into his technique. He’s really skilled at building drama during the song and his well-placed fills and rolls make the more standard hardcore riffs that much more interesting.

A dark vibe surrounds songs like “My Way” and “Thick As Blood”, not only a result of production, but of the playing style of each of the band members. Nine tracks in almost thirty minutes indicates that these guys put a little more thought into their songwriting than many hardcore outfits, but a little more for the money wouldn’t be so bad either.

By: xkingofallcorex

BEOWULF - The Re-releases

BEOWULF
The Re-releases
I Scream Records
8.5/10




A lesson in old school crossover if there ever was one, this double reissue taking us all the way back to 1986, a time when more extreme forms of heavy metal were merely gaining their legs. Beowulf broke out of Venice with an OTT sound influenced by the likes of Motorhead and for that matter, Motorhead’s influence - alcohol.

Gathering upbeat intense rhythms in the vein of Uncle Lemmy, Venom and the more closely related Suicidal Tendencies (this initial album was, of course, originally issued on Suicidal Records), Beowulf musters up the perfect musical backdrop for a punk-as-fuck roadhouse, wailing guitars, grunted lyrics and all. Some comparisons may be drawn to bands like Angelwitch and Diamond Head as well, drawing a parallel to the style Metallica was brandishing around the same time. “Beowulf” actually has a very similar feeling to “No Life ‘Til Leather” in many moments, but its obvious that the Cali-based bashers were much less concerned with melody.

Vocally, Dale Henderson often relays a mixture of Lemmy and Glenn Danzig (The Misfits era). It’s a pattern that becomes more apparent on the group’s second record, “Lost My Head.” By this point the band sound a touch tighter, but they’re no less abrasive and determined. The record has a driving quality that also carried over to bands like Excel, but no other group in the prominent Venice scene achieved such rawness while maintaining a focused integrity.

For those that had experienced these two great records the first time around, this re-release should prove to be sufficient reason to pick up an oversized flannel a Dogtown skateboard and a can of silver spray paint, but more importantly, this release will provide an immense amount of perspective for those that were not around to hear it in 1986. Easily one of the most influential and coolest bands to rise from the golden shores of California during that time period, Beowulf literally made history with the 25 cuts that grace this crucial offering. Grab a six-pack and crank this one up. Either you’ll relive some great memories or you’ll be making some brand new ones.

By: Mick Griffin

BARCODE - Showdown

BARCODE
Showdown
Nuclear Blast Records – 2005
8/10




If you are not a devotee of straight-up, fist-pumping old school hardcore anthems that hit you like a gunshot to the skull, then you can stop reading this right here. But, if you find yourself to be inclined to rip into a skanking frenzy when you hear ‘the real thing”, then this is your opportunity to discover one of the brashest, boldest HxC bands currently making a massive impression on the scene today.

With tough traditional anthems like “End The War”, “Rise To Dignity” and the muscular, hard hitting title track, “Showdown”, Barcode have set themselves up for major success in the hardcore scene. These five bashers have no trouble ripping up the idea that old school hardcore is no more as they launch into a social diatribe such as “Fanatics” or a throwback cut like “Drinkslinger” that recalls the spirit felt in the music of hardcore legends Murphy’s Law in a major way.

As the group pounds through the torrid “In The Pit”, you can envision the insane walls of death that this band must generate in a concert setting. One of this year’s brightest hardcore records, the sixteen tracks which grace “Showdown” provide nothing less than elbow throwing, head cracking sonic thunder at it’s finest.

Top it all of with one of the coolest, most creative album covers in recent memory and you have a beast that is just dying to be unleashed in your favorite moshing location. Make way for the roughhouse attack of Barcode.

by: xkingofallcorex

BANE - The Note

BANE
The Note
Equal Vision Records – 2005
7.5/10




Nitrous-fired, knuckles-up angst permeates the grooves of “The Note”, but at times Bane reflect the distinct vibe of being hardcore “lite”, just this side of aggression, with their signature hardcore element most often being the voicing of a phrase of lyrics, the attitude behind those words or the envelope surrounding a hit-hat count-off. These small enhancements further flavor the charged up expressions of the group and the small bit of restraint throughout their performance allows for a shred of danger, a gremlin lurking behind each note. A prevalent hardcore anthem surfaces in “Hoods Up”, which features some instrumentation that’s comparable to older Suicidal Tendencies.

One thing that detracts from the album on the whole is the fact that the vocals are not that varied. After a time, the monotone nature of the singing takes its toll. Just a touch of variety would be nice. Taken in smaller doses, tracks like the driving, barked-out “Pot Committed” become more enigmatic and thusly, much more interesting to repeat. Meanwhile, “My Therapy” offers a floor tom rhythm that drives the song into a chorus that is illuminated by crushing gang vocals.

The chugging closer “Swan Song” ends things with a substantial thumping, which would be a natural crowd sing-along cut in concert. It can be said that the angle that Bane collectively take on hardcore is a bit different and the variations upon traditional themes are admirable.

An album with substance and a sufficient amount of hardcore credibility, “The Note” is by no means innovative, but it is a fairly good listen for fans of this particular lifestyle and sonic presentation.

By: Mick Griffin