Young Poor & Angry Press

When you listen to Show of Force you might get a bit of nostalgia, I know I certainly do. NYHC style is slowing dying out with bands reverting to a more “metal” feel when it comes to their hooks and breakdowns. Show of Force takes that concept like a pitbull and shakes it till it’s dead. Don’t look for any fluff or sing-song melodic lyrics from this band. They’re pure adrenaline mixed with the intensity of bands like Merauder, Dmize, and Cold as Life. This isn’t a “new” style band by any stretch and that’s what makes it so good… bringing the soul and anger back into hardcore.

A good example of that can be heard on Human Nature, in which the introduction is a woman being assaulted - no doubt taken from a horror movie of some sort. It’s fast, angry, and tougher than Steven Segal on a bad day. What brings it all together on a lot of the tracks is the call and response gang vocals, something that hasn’t been done successfully in a long time as far as I’m concerned. If you’re a fan of hardcore that you can understand and empathize with, then Show of Force is definitely one of the bands you should check out.

Frankly this album is a long time coming. I love pop-punk and you see we do a lot of reviews of those records. They’re great and they make me smile. Though there are some days I don’t want to smile. There are some days when I want unabashed anger and rage at the status quo. Those days aren’t meant for pop-punk and in some respect hardcore too. Those days are reserved for bands like D.O.A.

This album is everything a growing punk needs to survive. Fast songs, fast vocals and insightful lyrics that will make you want to burn a bible. Especially one of my personal favorites That’s Why I’m An Atheist. The entire album is a commentary on the world we live in currently. Songs like Don’t Bank on A Bank and They Hate Punk Rock hit very close to home for those who are a bit older.

I plug albums a lot. I tell you to go buy stuff on the regular that I think is good. That being said, this is one album if you love punk rock that you need in your collection. It’s punk rock the way it should be; hard, fast and without political correctness.

The long awaited album from now hardcore/metal staples This Is Hell was released today. The album isn’t a vast departure from their previous work. The only drastic thing that’s different is the quickness of the songs. Singer Travis Reilly is on point with the quick fire vocals that seem to line up with the slow breakdowns of the album. Though this is definitely a much faster This Is Hell than we have heard in the past.

What sets this apart as well is lyrics that you can sing along to. Bloodlines is definitely a track that could see a lot of sing-alongs when performed live. The heavy breakdown on the track syncs great with the brutal lyrics, but the best part was the straight 80s metal guitar solo. The band seems to master the build up and slowdown with all instrumental Eagle of Justice which sounds like it was ripped from the Iron Maiden playbook. What was impressive was the end of the track syncs beautifully with The Death of World Class so much this could almost be mistaken for a concept album.

The biggest beef that I personally had with This Is Hell in the past is I didn’t believe the angst. Not to say the music wasn’t good, which it was. In the past Travis seemed angry, but it was hard to buy. In this album songs like The Search and Bloodlines are so tough and honest that it blows the listener away. This isn’t the same This Is Hell, more a better version with more heart and soul. Not since the Indecision/Most Precious Blood have hardcore listeners heard lyrics with actual simile and metaphors in lyrics. There is nothing wrong with basic tough guy hardcore, but if that’s what you’re looking for you’re not going to find it with This Is Hell, this band is thinking man’s harcore pure and simple.

What can I say about this band? First and foremost it’s a damn shame they broke up. Second off, this is not an album for the faint of heart. Nor is this an album if you JUST started listening to hardcore or metal. If your favorite band is Every Time I Die or As I Lay Dying. This is an album if you’re a veteran hardcore listener. Someone who lost their soul to this music long time ago and now yearns for a day when bands made you thrash around like a Baptist at a tent revival.

This is an album that’s so blistering and so brutal that listening to it might make you do very bad things with a crowbar in traffic. I’m not even going to list what tracks stand out because every track is damn good. It’s hardcore how it was meant to be. Furious, angry, venomous and without an ounce of remorse. Exfork is so heavy that your neighbors will be afraid to come over to your house to tell you to turn it down. Your dog will hide and your children will cry at the mention of the name Exfork. Consider this your warning.