|
I can honestly say that Embrace Today is one of the hardest hitting bands I have ever heard. Not necessarily the heaviest; Embrace Today's music doesn't completely revolve around breakdowns or anything too metallic. "Soldiers" is raw, oldschool hardcore, played with the most ferocious intensity that one can fathom. The drum parts blaze by at light speed, the meaty guitar riffs are fully punishing, and forceful, throaty screams culminate into everything that comprises a solid hardcore band. But what is absolutely stunning about the material on "Soldiers" is how incredibly hard Embrace Today plays. Few may rival their intensity, but none seem to surpass it.
Powering Embrace Today is an explosive sense of rage. From the lyrical content to the crushing music, this band lives off of pure anger. And that fueling anger must be sincere, because I can't imagine a band performing such intense and passionate music without feeling strongly about the subject matter. Much of the lyrical material is a simply relentless assault on certain individuals, especially in songs like "Take My Hand" and "Prove Me Wrong," during which vocalist Scott Peacock spews lines like "Burnt out, washed up, you're nothing more than a name to hang your fucking hat on. Your time will come. Until then, I'll stay alive and haunt your every dream." "Run For Your Life" is basically the anthem for every straightedge hardcore listener, and lyrics like "And there is just one thing, I never told you. You meant the fucking world to me, but when you turned it around you became a memory. I'll turn my back on you." make the band's strong feelings quite obvious.
At slightly over 22 minutes, "Soldiers" flies by in a hurry, but there is definitely enough material to make this disc completely fullfilling and enjoyable. Rarely falling below a brisk pace, Embrace Today keep the oldschool hardcore spirit in tact, only slowing things down for a meaty, double bass powered breakdown. While some oldschool hardcore bands tend to employ a somewhat monotone vocalist, Embrace Today's Scott Peacock really assists the band in retaining variety and standing out amongst the crowd. Scott's voice is surely reminiscent of Wes from Give Up The Ghost, but Scott makes pleasant use of his range, and tends to drift between mid-paced barks and raspy, high-pitched screams. The guitars are fairly standard for the genre, but Kurt Ballou's wondrous production job gave them such a crunchy, monstrous sound, which really helped give "Soldiers" its own identity.
"Soldiers" is easily one of the most memorable and essential releases for hardcore listeners in recent years, and any fan of the genre, especially of the straightedge persuasion, must purchase this album. As one of the most relentless, hardest hitting bands to grace the hardcore music scene, Embrace Today deserves any recognition they receive. Bands this passionate, sincere and intense don't come along too often, so waste no time, indulge.
|
