I shouldn't need to run through the history of Terror at this point, so I'm going to forego that stuff. This is a re-release of the band's "Lowest of the Low" EP, which was originally put out a few years ago by Bridge Nine. To make it more worthwhile, the disc has been given an all new layout with liner notes and song explanations from vocalist Scott Vogel, as well as tacking on bonus tracks from their Deathwish Inc. released split 7" with Ringworm and an entire 10-track live set recorded in Tokyo. Good stuff. When I reviewed the original release I referred to it as "fast, heavy, vengeful fucking hardcore with no bullshit", and that still stands. Expect concise tracks that never hit three minutes, chock full of heavy hardcore with massive breakdowns. I honestly like this first EP better than "One With the Underdogs" simply because the recording's better. It just sounds crisp as shit with a perfectly heavy guitar tone, a clear mix, prominent basslines... it's just well balanced and hits like a ton of bricks. No complaints from me. "Don't Need Your Help" is fast and has a traditional framework with a little added heaviness, "Nothing to Me" has that NYHC sort of groove to it, "Another Face" has a metallic edge that totally kills, and "Push it Away" blends a Madball-ish sensibility with catchy breaks and a severe dose of mosh that certainly delivers in full. The first of the bonus tracks is a cover of Dag Nasty's "Can I Say", which may have been unreleased prior to this, I'm not sure. But Dag Nasty rules and this cover is surprisingly true to the original on a musical level, so I'm all for it. The songs from the split 7" are, of course, exactly like the band's other material, with "Out of My Face" retaining a little more midpaced heaviness than average. The sound on these three songs is disappointingly thin and much quieter than the EP tracks, so it probably could've been mastered more efficiently, but whatever. The live set was recorded in September 2003 and runs about 23 minutes. The sound is a little muffled, as expected, with the vocals falling back in with the music and the bass getting lost, but it's listenable. As with many such hardcore bands when it comes to live recordings some of the singalongs can get annoying since it's just not the same when you're not there in person, but that's not such a big deal. The layout looks fine, but it's nothing to write home about. You'll get a photo collage and lots of orange textures with ultra crisp text for the lyrics. As with the lyrical content the liner notes and song explanations are totally honest and sincere, pulling no punches: "Big mouth, no heart. My hate for you just fucking grows. In and out of every trend. Never backed the things you said. The loudest are the first to go, so fucking go. Seen your kind many times. Big mouth, no heart. In shame, disgrace. Fist to your face." I'm all for that, as well. The only reason I gave the original release a higher rating is because those nine songs from "Lowest of the Low" are a perfectly to the point dose of sheer force, and you absolutely cannot lose there. The bonus material on this edition definitely fleshes out the disc as more bang for your buck, but I've never been a fan of live recordings, and while the added liner notes are great, I'm not blown away by the layout or the mastering job, since those original nine songs are still crushin' everything else herein. But this is still a damn solid release, and if for some reason you missed out on the original version, you'd be foolish not to pick this up. Say what you will about hype, but it's a simple fact that Terror is without question one of the best and most sincere hardcore bands out there when it comes to this niche of the genre, and I'm a fuckin' fan.
[Trustkill]
Running time - 45:38, Tracks: 22
[Notable tracks: Nothing to Me, Another Face, Push it Away, Lowest of the Low, Can I Say, Out of My Face]
Trustkill Records - http://www.trustkill.com
