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This
is fucking awesome. Nothing like a blunt helping of anarcho punk
to shake off all that weak goth rock and the forever and ever
building moods of post rock bands. Sometimes we just can’t walk
in circles or even take a deep breath. Sometimes we just need it
all laid out in front of our eyes. Straight up, grotesque and
ugly. A dose of reality is all we need to make us realize that,
God damned, we live in a horrible place. We are heading down the
drain faster than ever and if we don’t annihilate each other
completely by 2012, then nature will do its part and make sure
half of the earth’s population gets vanished via some act of god
catastrophe. So really, nothing more comforting than listening
to a band like Oakland’s Born/Dead, who through relentless riffs
and raspy vocals are sure to remind us that yes, it all sucks,
it’s all horrible and these are grim times. Humanity is brutal.
We suck! To some (like yours truly) that is empowering. If not
the message, for sure the music.
Born/Dead
were formed in 2000 and already has a few full-lengths on their
backs along with a split EP with the great Cali melodic punk
band Peligro Social. On The Final Collapse the riffs run
over and level down everything in sight and the vocals are
served up with such in your face assurance we may just as well
be rocking to a pissed off dictator. To get a little more
descriptive; the music is super direct; fast tempos break in and
establish a brutal pace. Once Born/Dead establish a mood, (very
often with a madcap look in the face) there is no way for
variation. This is zero gimmicks hardcore punk too with a locked
mode that rubs itself against the D Beat of the obvious greats
like Discharge.
The songs
are relentless and very violent and there isn’t much on the ways
of dynamics. No, there is no need for it either. If you want
some nuances, shut your eyes, and check out some of the bass
work of Wyatt Culbertson. In all other fronts Born/Dead just
crush. One more thing to highlight? The production is great. The
overall sound of The Final Collapse is professional and
keeps stridence to zero. Which doesn’t mean that Born/Dead have
gone polished, on the contrary, The Final Collapse sounds
mighty strong.
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