Last Hope "My Own Way" CD
[Superhero]
These guys come from Bulgaria and play heavy hardcore in the NYHC style, with lots of chunky chord progressions, a little bit of groove, and shouted vocals with plenty of gang backups. It's definitely somewhat comparable to Madball on a musical level, so it's a tried and true sound that doesn't really mess with the formula too much. Expect midpaced tempos that never get too fast or too slow (I actually think they should speed up more often though, as a song like "Newcomer" would be great with a little more speed), and straightforward songs that average about three-and-a-half minutes each and sound pretty consistent across the board. "In Your Face" features some guest vocals from Jimmy Gestapo of Murphy's Law, "What We Feel" is a little faster at times and has brief hints of melodic lead lines that add a dose of variety, "Pizzacore" is openly melodic and has an upbeat punk rock thing going on (more befitting of its lighter subject matter), "Riot" has kind of a street punk vibe that doesn't quite gel with the rest of the disc but is unexpected, etc. "One More Time" and "No Tolerance" are among the more groove oriented tracks and I'm not too into that stuff, but such appearances are rare so it's not a big deal, at least they're trying a couple of different things. On the other hand, "FP" ("Fuck Police") is much faster than the other tracks, bringing in a loosely thrashy edge that's a welcome change in my opinion. The recording's not bad. The guitars are thick and heavy, the bass usually plays a good role in the background, and the drums sound alright. I think the drums are a little too distant at times, so they could be brought forth with a little added density, and the vocals are a little thin and off to the side, so I'd like to hear them reigned in against the music more, but the core is definitely in place. I like the cover art in its simplicity and use of color, but the rest of the layout is kind of a mishmash of collaged photos (including a lot of photos of the band posing with members of Madball), but it gets the job done so screw it. The lyrics are fairly typical for hardcore and deal with staying true, the hardships of life, living life one day at a time, friendships, etc. On the CD-Rom portion of the disc are videos for "In Your Face" and an older track with a slightly different kind of hardcore sound, both of which are shot with footage of the band performing in front of fierce crowds and all that stuff. Not bad. It's cool to hear a band from Bulgaria, if nothing else. I'm not blown away by the songwriting on this one as I think they could use some more energy, but it's pretty true to form for the genre. (6/10)
Running time - 41:02, Tracks: 13
[Notable tracks: What We Feel, Newcomer, FP, Live Today]
Superhero Records - http://www.superherorecords.com

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