1. All For Revenge
2. Strike You Down
3. Survival Comes Crashing In
4. Always The Hard Way
5. Lost
6. Last Of The Diehards
7. Close To Defeat
8. Test My Convictions
9. Hell To Pay
10. One Step Behind
11. You Can't Break Me
12. Dibbs And Murs Check In
13. Hardship Belongs To Me
14. Smash Through You
Having broken through into mainstream metal world with the help of their enigmatic front man Jamey Jasta, Hatebreed have become a colossal Rottweiler on the hardcore scene, towering over countless sound alike bands with ease. There is a quintet from Los Angeles born just after the millennium however who have claimed the role of rabid pit bull, snapping ferociously at the heels of legends like Madball and Sick of It All, gaining notoriety with every sold out show they play.
With Always The Hard Way, their second album on Trustkill records, they might be less than six years old but Terror are beginning to hammer their way through from the underground and are ready to turn the world into one big fat beatdown party.
Strike You Down is a brilliant hardcore by numbers attack on the senses; pummelling double bass blasts are supplemented by searing guitar riffs that barely leave room to breath before Survival Comes Crashing batters its way in, sounding more like a two minute constant beatdown than a song, you had better have some stamina if you hope to survive the remaining 20 minutes of aural attack.
Title track Always The Hard Way is no doubt set to become a crowd driven, stage invading anthem of Bane proportions. A catchy riff and repetitive title line for a chorus is a sure way to ensure success in the hardcore formula, and while generic it may be, the stereotypical has never sounded so smashingly good.
With his dual workaholic and child like attitude to live shows, Scott Vogel has cemented himself as the perfect frontman, fervently whipping the crowd into a frenzy of stage dives, and the type of acrobatic dance moves that would look more at home in a kung fu move than in a pit whilst providing banter novelty to keep the bystanders amused. Less joking around is evident on Hell To Pay, as tom thumping drums and crushing guitar licks pave the way for a war cry to chill the bones of the enemy, which for the hardcore gang appears to be anyone who isn't in the pit!
Lost is a call to arms for all those who prowl the streets feeling alienated and singled out from the mainstream, and while their tribal attitude of belonging and unity is seen as somewhat 'preachy' by others in the aggressive music world, there is something to be said for the uplifting, vibrant positivism that oozes out of bands like Terror. Regardless of whether you live and breathe hardcore 24/7, if a metallic pick me up is what you are in need of during this sweltering summer, Always the Hard Way is about as tailor made as prescriptions come.
share with:
