Up the Fury "Behind Every Mind"

While Up the Fury boasts current and former members of such Long Island hardcore mainstays as Crime In Stereo, This Is Hell and The Backup Plan (okay, the latter wasn't quite as prevalent), the band's full-length debut is much more than a half-realized album from five dudes with some extra time. Behind Every Mind's 10 songs are rooted in the sound of Long Island hardcore, with fast tempos, throaty, shouted vocals and, most importantly, layers of brisk guitar melodies accenting the fiery chord progressions. Sure, that lands the band in similar territory as This Is Hell, but Up the Fury foregoes catchy sing-alongs and takes a more straightforward, unabashedly pissed-off approach, which contributes a lot to the record's underlying sincerity. There are also plenty of surging, mid-paced passages that call to mind Another Breath and early Modern Life Is War. They're not as immediate but, given time, you'll really start to feel their power.

I appreciate the balance of overt aggression and slowed-down (but no less forceful) material on Behind Every Mind. Up the Fury is able to transition between the different speeds and sounds without completely shifting gears, so there's consistency and variety. The more I listen, the more I like this record. If you've got room for Long Island hardcore with only scant traces of anything metallic, this is likely to please.

Up the Fury - Dude We'd Have Like $900

You can pick this one up from the Detonate Records store.