Odyssey "Fighters" CD
[Liberation]
Damn right! Here's some raging old school styled hardcore with relentlessly yelled vocals from Brazil that has shitloads of energy going on. The energetic punch of the songs and the band's overall attack has more of a modern influence to it, but they also throw in little hints of dissonance or rock that kind of remind me of The Suicide File, but this is actually more energetic on record than The Suicide File's recordings were. Some of the subtle melody reminds me of Bane's finer moments as well, as they just blow through 13 generally succinct tracks in under 25 minutes and then pack it in. "The Nights" is a mere 25 seconds of blasting old school hardcore, "Passionate Crime" kicks out some awesome tempo changes and definitely jumps out at you, "Beliefs and Reasons" opens with a slower instrumental intro that takes up over half of the song's entire running time, "A Road With No Light and Bad Pavement" tosses in a little more melody and makes for an awesome song that has plenty of classic old school devices blended in with some modern discordance, "Bridges Burned" takes a fast and aggressive road but still twists it up with some interesting chord phrasings, while "The Beauty is on Fire" drops a quick breakdown part (something that's somewhat uncommon on this outing). Closer "Repeat" is the longest song at four minutes, opening with a slow set of thick chords before the rhythm section picks up the pace and some melody creeps in, but overall this one's more midpaced and rocked out, which is a cool touch. The recording's a little dirty, but that's not much of an issue. Were it clearer I think the material would hit slightly harder, but the warmth they've got going on is cool, and it makes sense for the sound to possess some of that dirtiness to it. The power of their performances certainly isn't harmed in any way. The mix is pretty balanced as well, so the vocals rest right in with the music, the percussion doesn't overpower, and you can hear the bass bashing away right next to the guitars. It's definitely listenable without a problem. The layout's done almost entirely in black and white with little hints of red, printed with a matte finish and using handwritten text throughout. All of the lyrics are in English, but there's an insert included with Portuguese translations of the songs as well. Whereas a lot of Brazilian bands are super political, Odyssey takes the personal road here, dealing with relationships, hardships, struggles, etc. But despite common topics, the lyrics are really sincere, which fits the melodic and passionate tone of the music very well: "We are broke and we are lost, so let's make it worthwhile. This might not make any sense, but nowadays nothing does. I am just coming to terms with the mess that is my life." I would definitely recommend this for fans of Bane, The Promise, The Suicide File, and older classics like Turning Point and the Gorilla Biscuits, because this is one of those bands that, while not the most original act out there, there's definitely a sense of force within the music that lets you know there's something special about them. I'll be very much looking forward to hearing more from these guys, I bet they'll blow me out of the water in the future. This is absolutely a band that should get more attention here in the US, as there's a definite lack of this style of quality hardcore over here right now. Every song on this disc is a keeper, and there's no doubt the band would be hugely popular if they were from America, so... look into this one and quit ignoring bands just because they're from other countries! (7/10)
Running time - 24:00, Tracks: 13
[Notable tracks: Passionate Crime, A Road With No Light and Bad Pavement, Bridges Burned, The Beauty is on Fire]
Liberation Records - http://www.xliberationx.com

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