More old school straightedge hardcore from Italy, this time cranking out 12 quick tracks in less than 20 minutes, with plenty of shouting backup vocals, chunky breakdowns, and straight up three-chord rhythms in the traditional style. Musical you could definitely make a few comparisons to Judge (as well as a ton of modern bands who also sound like Judge), but the lead vocals here are higher pitched and done in a more typical hardcore shout/yell, and they toss in a little more melody on occasion. "Scarecrow" has a crossover metal edge to it that definitely stands out, and I actually think that approach is pretty solid, as "Spare a Life" takes a similar road and also pops out, even with its melodic accents in tow. I don't mind that there's not a lot of variety or inventiveness here, I know there are tons of bands that want to stay true to the classic form of hardcore, and I think that's good. I just think these guys need to push their songwriting a little more to get the most mileage out of it and keep things interesting and memorable. There are plenty of songs here that follow the textbook structure of old school hardcore though, from the pulsing bass intro to "The Flag", to the breakdown and gang vocals in "For Every One". There's not too much more to say, as most of the songs sound fairly similar to one another, and with each track hitting right around a minute-and-a-half this thing's over pretty quickly. I'm basically fine with the production. It could use a little work, but the mix is well balanced and nothing really bothers me. They've got that plunky old school bass tone that works just behind the guitars, the drums sound fine, the vocals stay back in with the music, etc. The vocals are slightly thin, and I wouldn't mind hearing more crunch in the guitars either, but for the most part they've done alright for themselves. The layout's pretty generic, straight down to the blocky lettering and black and white live photos of crowd sing-alongs, stagedives, and high jumps, but whatever, you know? The lyrics are pretty typical and deal with everything from the scene and overcoming weakness to animal rights and environmental issues, so they kind of touch all the bases: "In our hearts we want to improve the world, but maybe it's time to watch inside our souls. Are we sincere?" There are definitely no bad songs here, this is a decent record, but like I said, they'd need to leave a little more of a mark to really win me over. They're on the right track, though.
[Handprint]
Running time - 19:34, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: Scarecrow, Spare a Life, For Every One]
Handprint Records - http://www.goodwillrecords.net
