Look, this band is called Terror, they’re on Century Media, and they’re hardcore, and they’re thus totally un-needful of any metaphors I can slap down. About as subtle as a fart at a funeral, Terror are the very essence of why people get into hardcore: it’s fast, exciting and loud. There’s also good-natured solidarity, a sense you live life hard but fair, and have fun doing it.
Musicwise, this is timeless stuff, the sort of riffing Hatebreed would dream of if they weren’t so unimaginative. There’s a charismatic stomp here that reminds one of Earth Crisis at their peak, a style that never loses sight of the fact a catchy tune transcends all genres. Opener ‘Your Enemies Are Mine’ is just the sort of thing that would define a vest-clad night out: barely two minutes long, it nevertheless packs in everything that makes this record so great: charismatic riffing, shout along lyrics that have enough conviction to make you believe them, and a breathless anticipation for more. Handy, because this record provides more and more.
Of course, the best place to see this band would be on stage, playing out of their heads to an appreciative audience of vest-clad hardcore fans; rammed home by ‘Return To Strength’, which shows how powerful gang vocals can be. There’s also a deftness to the riffing which makes Hatebreed sound so monochromatic: ‘Shattered’ fits neat as a fist into Simon Cowell’s smug gob in the running order, especially with the double-tracked march of ‘You’re Caught’ clipping hard on its heels, like Sick Of It All marching in perfect step.
The out and out highlight though, is ‘Only Death’, with a blunt statement of intent and a lead that Accept would be proud to call their own. Or is it ‘New Blood’, which is slick as you like, and manages to sing about their own genre without sounding as trite as when Nofx sing about punk. Or ‘Defiant’...fuck it, it’s all good. If you’re a true hardcore head, you’re going to find very little to complain about Terror: they occupy that little corner of hardcore that will forever remain timeless. As ‘Keepers of the Faith’ shows, they’re not out to rock the boat, they’re simply out to preserve all that is good and true in this little corner of the heavy music world.
http://www.myspace.com/terror
http://www.pickrset.com/keepersofthefaith/
