Empire Falls/Creepout "The New World and the Rising Sun - Hardcore Worldwide 2004" CD
[Prophecy]
Empire Falls kicks this thing off with eight new tracks of their traditional brand of hardcore that draws mainly from old school influences, tossing in a little punk rock and some added heaviness on occasion.  The recording definitely has a dated sound to it that's probably in part intentional based on their influences as well as due to budgetary restrictions.  It sounds pretty balanced and I can sort of appreciate the distant ring they've got going on with its live aesthetic, but I still find myself wishing these guys could achieve a little more of a crispness to their sound.  On this outing the vocals sound awesome and harness way more power than the music, and I definitely dig that gruff shouting.  Musically expect basic chord progressions and tempo changes drawing from an 80's style of hardcore, but nothing that gets overly fast or intense.  I'm not digging the weird little lead in "The Quick and the Dead" because the guitar effects give it a weird Middle Eastern sound that makes no sense; and "War is Inevitable" has a little more of a punk inflection both musically and vocally, definitely catchier, but those same fucked up harmonizer effects ruin the guitar lead and just sound like shit.  "Defiant ‘til the End" comes from a different recording session that's 10 times louder than the other songs, so there are some continuity issues.  They also tack on six bonus tracks, five from 1998 and one from 2001.  In the late-90's the band's style was a little heavier and had a loose metallic influence going, and I've always actually liked a lot of their songs from that era (check out "Enemy in Our Midst"), despite the insufficient recording quality that much of it possessed.  Creepout (Japan) follows with a mere four songs of 90's styled metallic hardcore with plenty of moshiness as well as good doses of speed and a toughguy edge.  You can't help but chuckle at a Japanese band shouting, "West Tokyo hardcore, motherfuckers!" during the intro to their first song.  I have to say, I wish their entire portion of the disc was as chugga styled as that intro though, because you can't beat that shit, heh.  The recording is fuller and crisper than Empire Falls' but could still use some work.  It, too, has a bit of a dated sound happening, but I can live with it.  The guitars are heavy enough, the bass is there, and the drums sound alright.  It's a little rugged and needs more oomph, but it's alright.  Even though the vocals lean out front a bit I like what they're messing with at times as far as doubling some of the vocal parts.  Admittedly the vocals are a bit of a weak link for the band because they feel a little forced and unnatural, but whatever.  "One Tribe" is faster and fits in more with the style delivered by Empire Falls throughout the years (Check out that unexpected solo!?), though Creepout's definitely tossing in more of a NYHC style as that's very clearly a niche that's playing a big role in their influences.  I can hear some Blood for Blood in here as well, especially in "OSG", where the gruffness of the vocals is a better match for the driving tempo of the music.  As is (sadly) often the case with this label I have to say that the layout is kind of shoddy.  It's competent and the samurai themed imagery is alight, but it still looks really plain and kind of quickly pieced together.  No lyrics are included either, even though the lyrics are all in English - Creepout included.  All you get are credits and a thanks list for Creepout and a statement from Empire Falls loosely addressing some of the controversy and rumors surrounding their band.  I don't really think Empire Falls should've bothered tacking on the bonus songs (even though they're decent tunes) because it makes you wade through nearly a half-hour of their work before you get to a mere 10 minutes from Creepout, and it still would've been around a 24-minute split without the added tracks.  Beyond that though, I'd just encourage this label to try to push a little harder for stronger presentations for their releases.  They've got a shitload of records out with more on the way, but it would only require more time, not more money, to get this stuff to look a little nicer and more professional - which is no less D.I.Y. at the end of the day, you know? (6/10)
Running time - 38:31, Tracks: 18
[Notable tracks: Battering Ram, Time Heals Nothing, Enemy in Our Midst, Hardcore District, Flexibility]
Prophecy Records - http://www.raise-hell.com

This review has been displayed 1947 times.