This is my first exposure to Straight to Hell but the disc offers up plenty of ripping hardcore/punk that draws from a variety of influences - be it crust, thrash, or the more traditional side of things. Included is the "We Will Bury You" LP, the self-titled 7", the split 7" with Balance of Terror, and a compilation track (a cover of C.O.C.'s "Poison Planet"), totaling 24 tracks in just 35 minutes. Their overall style is relatively heavy and conventional hardcore/punk with a good dose of speed and a sound that sort of walks the line between American and Scandinavian styles, while the vocals are maniacal yells that are a little more over the top than usual and can kind of have a borderline Japanese flare at times. Few songs hit two minutes, so it's pretty straightforward and goes for the throat. Some of the lead breaks are a little dirtier and more rocked out, pointing most noticeably toward some of the band's most classic early-80's influences, but overall I wouldn't say they're living in the past at all - more looking to it for inspiration and building from it in a very true fashion. A lot of the individual songs do tend to sound similar to one another after awhile, but there are always bright spots. "Sublimation" gets a little heavier and has a pounding breakdown that really pops out, followed by the rocked out energy of "We Will Bury You" for a double whammy attack; "United Police State" breaks into some majorly intense speeds, and "I Can't Wait" opens with a slower intro before quickly reverting back to straight up hardcore fury. In addition to the C.O.C. cover they also drop "Make My Day" by Anti-Cimex, so I think those are pretty indicative of the range of different hardcore/punk influences at work. The "We Will Bury You" LP was recorded by Kurt Ballou at God City, which is the first material of this nature I've heard coming from said source, and it's pretty clear and forceful as a result. The bass tone is killer and plays an excellent role thickening things up, the guitars are heavy but not overpowering, the vocals sound great and fall in with the music, etc. The rest of the material isn't as bright and kind of falls together with less force, placing less of an accenting the viciousness of the vocals and not coming off as heavy as the LP. The layout keeps it simple, using black and white and red, a couple of illustrations and a band photo, and all of the lyrics in clean text. The lyrics are blunt and deal with everything from being pissed off at the usual bullshit in life to war, cops, religion, corruption, etc. - but even though those are pretty typical subjects, I have no quarrels, because the lyrics pull no punches and aren't goofy. "I'm full of joy the end is near, Just drop the bomb, I don't care, For our filthy selfish greed - I hope we lose, To cure this capitalist disease - I hope we lose, I hope they bring us to our knees - I hope we lose, This time I hope we fucking lose." This is good stuff. I'm not blown away, but the LP is damn good and the band definitely consistently delivers as a whole.
[Gloom]
Running time - 35:17, Tracks: 24
[Notable tracks: Destroy the Family, Sublimation, We Will Bury You, Meeting Our Maker, I Can't Wait]
Gloom Records - http://www.gloomrecords.com
