It's already been over five years since their last studio album Scream Real Loud was released. That beauty was a definite grab-back to the fury and rapidity of 7 Seconds' glory days, and with this new album it looks like they picked up the appeals and demands of their fans to remain loyal to the sound that offered them immortality in hardcore-punk environments. This band was and will always be my absolute favorite band in pre-Bad Religion punk times.
The word "hardcore" is too often associated with growling voices and New York, because although this might be "Your Parent's Hardcore" (as they sing themselves), to me this band IS the real cradle of melodic punk-hardcore. A band that influenced so many of their descendents (yep, Bill Stevenson mixed it) even until this very day, and not only because of their intensity in music, but equally as much because of their lyrics that always gave me that warm feeling of belonging to a community that really means something. In fact, it's like a religious experience without a god: be good to your fellow men, be friends, be openminded and feel united. Their classic song "Walk Together, Rock Together" is my personal gospel, really.
There's not that much new about the whirlwinding 17 songs that are on this album. Just 4 of them are over 2 minutes long and there's hardly any pauses between them (how I love that traditional Ramones-y concept!). It's literally three-chord choruses, battering drums and of course Kevin Seconds' genuine, glorious, high-pitched vocals supported by the wow-ing backings. Although this discription might sound like this is very simplistic music, and maybe to some extent it is, don't underestimate them either because these easy chords are held together in many different formats, and the bassplay could stand the test with Rancid's Matt Freeman or All's Karl Alvarez at times. These are not sing- but shout-along songs, the perfect epitome of how a live band should be playing: through the tough sound they manage to provoke that joyous feeling, inviting to throw these fists in the air like not many bands can.
Nice songs never last long, and since these are all short songs, it's not too difficult to figure out these are all good. Maybe my nostalgic feelings are preventing me once more to give an unbiased opinion, but please kids⦠this crew just breathes punk rock as I feel punk rock is meant to be breathed: breath-taking.