Abolition "In the Grasp Of Tyrants" 7" (CTW)
I’ve been following Abolitions progress for a while now. This band has always professed their love for the 90‘s HC sound (that was the soundtrack to my youth), but that influence wasn’t really noticable on their demo which had a more melodic hardcore feel. Things improved a little on last years split with Hang The Bastard, but i was still left wanting.I was hoping for anthems that would rekindle the feelings i had in 1995 and remind me of those halcyon days of moshing to Strife whilst wearing enormous Gap cargos, XL athletic grey Champion reverse weave hoodies and vegan airwalks. Sadly it didn’t happen, the songs just didn’t quite cut it for me. Oh well.
Abolitions new 7” on CTW entitled In the Grasp Of Tyrants dropped through my letterbox a couple of weeks ago and whilst the title was cool and the packaging looked legit (think Ebulition or Bloodlink rather Victory or New Age) I was prepared for the music to kinda pass me by as it has in the past. Well, looks like i was wrong again. This is what I’ve been waiting for...MASSIVE Outspoken vibe happening here on A Refusal, bass intro build up then the rest of the band comes smashing in with the e-chord chug and pounding drums.I approve gents, very Chokehold. The vocalist has the perfect voice for this type of band, rasping, gruff and wracked with feeling. No over the top death metal grunting or squeaky youth crew yapping. Where Is the Justice? opens with a haunting and melancholy acoustic intro with a sample playing underneath before heading into early Strife territory, frantic leads and divebombs abounds, throw in some cheesy spoken word sections for added sincerity and we’ve got ourselves a genuine mid 90‘s sounding record albeit without the weaknesses that plagued a lot of the bands back then (dodgy recording etc) A lot of bands are claiming to be on a similar tip these days, claiming influence from bands of that era and most of’em are just weak metalcore to these ears. Abolition have nailed not only the sound and aesthetic of that time but also the lyrical content. Where many bands these days seem satisfied to sing about white-boy urban angst, crusty rhetoric or vague notions of family and pride, Abolition actually bring some challenging ideas to the table. Not to say i agree with everything they are putting out but it’s encouraging to read lyrics and be given food for thought instead of feeling dumber than you did before you read them. Along with Never Again, Abolition are defiantly proving that in the UK at least, the edge is very far from dull.
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