This is a re-release of this collection of rare tracks from these defunct California straightedgers, including the "Roll With the Punches" and "The Line is Drawn" 7"s, one unreleased track, and one compilation appearance - all remastered and repackaged. Of course you should basically expect nothing but true to form midpaced to moderately fast old school hardcore with basic power chord arrangements and pissed off yelling vocals, all of which follows a pretty standard form of songwriting that offers no real surprises, but is definitely excellent for what it offers in staying true to the roots of this particular niche in the genre. "Fuck Your Politics" ranges from speedy picking patterns and harmonic accents to subtly groovy rhythms that never come close to any metal sounding stuff, "It's Over" and "We're Not Alone" are merely 20-second blasts of intensity, "Off My Chest" is among the longer tracks and builds in more deliberately to make for one of the more anthemic song structures thanks in no small part to a killer breakdown, "The Line is Drawn" is among the only tracks that starts to throw in just a hint of melody and a couple of slightly more involved dual guitar parts that spice up the traditional framework, "Move Along" is just barely more rocked out and perhaps nods a little more to an early-80's Boston sound or something like that, the awesome "What Once Was" picks up the pace and cranks out a concise two minutes attacking heartless comebacks and cash-in reunions, etc. The sound quality on the "Roll With the Punches" EP is actually quite good and stands up well against the band's other material, utilizing even mixes that give the basslines plenty of room and keep things crisp and clear without using too much distortion or anything like that. "The Line is Drawn" suffers a bit from an unbalanced mix that favors drums and vocals over all, so the basslines can be usually hard to decipher and a good portion of the guitar parts start to get drowned out as well, which is unfortunate, but... the songwriting still comes across as fairly energetic despite the shortcomings of the recording session. The layout keeps it simple with a minimal color scheme and nothing but live band shots and metallic silver text, but it's consistent and certainly looks good for my money. Lyrically the material is, as expected, dealing with general frustrations, sincerity, unity, and plenty of other staples of this form of hardcore: "You're in no position to look down on me, because we all have problems and we all fuck up. But the effort's for myself. I never did this shit for you. So don't waste your breath, because the line is drawn." Good stuff. Not the band's finest hour, but certainly indicative of what they had to offer, and these cats will definitely be missed.
[Youngblood]
Running time - 21:41, Tracks: 14
[Notable tracks: Off My Chest, We're Not Alone, The Line is Drawn, What Once Was]
Youngblood Records - http://www.youngblood-records.com
