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Slapshot

Tear It Down (2005)
Thorp Records

Reviewer Rating:

Contributed by: Adam
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on March 1st 2005

So the Bruins won't ice a team this winter, but that's not going to stop Boston's hockey-inspired hardcore stalwarts from raging on. Twenty years into the game, you pretty much know what to expect from Slapshot, and Tear It Down certainly won't change your opinions. Jack Kelley's still growling out spiteful lyrics and the band's hardcore remains as fast and raging as they can muster. To their credit Slapshot sounds as determined and furious as ever, and there are no signs here of are any plan to slow it down.

Slapshot put their best foot forward with "Relight The Fire," an amazingly powerful lead off track and one of the band's better recent tunes. Of course over the album's seven songs Choke manages to spew bile over as many topics as he can. "Fuck New York" swings out at his city's nemesis and tries to do as much damage in as few words as possible. It's notoriously dumb and as a result completely hilarious, but one suspects that's the point. "Rap Sucks" is far less effective though. While FNY's target is a rival town (city rivalries are by their very nature irrational but they're something we accept and can have fun with) "Rap Sucks" just makes a broad-stroked attack on an entire genre of music. It's not funny (Choke keeps mockingly yelling "Yo! Yo! Yo!") nor is it informed ("sorry to break the news to you kid / but you'll never be black / you can listen to this shit all you want / but it just proves you're a dumbass") and this many years after hip hop overtook rock in the mainstream it simply comes off as contemptuous and bitter. However, when they target something relevant Slapshot is far more successful. "Spread The Fear" turns the band's fury at the Bush administration's endless alerts and scare-mongering tactics and it's one of the album's strongest tracks as a result.

The follow up to 2003's Digital Warfare is pretty brief but the length feels appropriate. There's a tolerance level most people have for unrelenting hardcore with oft-ridiculous lyrics and Tear It Down stays just under that. Fans also get their money's worth with around 20 minutes of surprisingly high quality video footage on the enhanced portion of the CD. Unlike many video additions this is very well prepared and nicely tied into the album art.

Slapshot's not winning any friends this time around and I suspect they're perfectly happy with that. If you love or hate this band the fact that this is a pretty consistent Slapshot release isn't going to change your opinion.

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kmahone (August 15, 2007)

boo hooo how dare a white man profess his hate for an anti white genre rap i.e. ice cube , public enemy , n.w.a. , ghetto boys... ect... yet he embraces the anti working class views of the welefare enabling democrates in slamming bush no matter what this reviewer if a fake piece o shit suburbian bitch fuck hime

Anonymous (March 3, 2005)

I honestly haven't heard this release. Unless Slapshot pulled a 180, it should just be pretty straightforward old sounding hardcore. The heaviness/speed of bands like SSD, Negative FX, and DYS paved the way for more creative bands like Converge, etc.... I can definitely see a connection, at least, between old Boston hardcore and newew "metalcore" bands.

-BSD

Anonymous (March 3, 2005)

It's not moshcore, nor did it build a basis for what Skycamefalling did. Harvest and Shai Hulud, Converge and others did that.

Lyrically, vocally, and musically, this is not a good band. It's boring, and it doesn't say anything. I usually agree with you, BSD, but you're way off base here.

- Star Jones

Anonymous (March 3, 2005)

"Once again, bringing Alexisonfire into every arguement isn't going to embarrass me, or make me not like them. Besides, if his name is Choke, they're lamer than I thought. That's right up there with Rick Ta Life and Freddy Madball. Shut up."

The difference is this guy was one of the founders of the music you claim to like in your SkyCameFalling review. This isn't moshXcore crap, and you have obviously never heard them.

-BSD

Anonymous (March 3, 2005)

Slapshit....feh....give me Jerry's Kids anyday.

-Ken

Anchors (March 3, 2005)

Lockout. The players union are greedy, the owners are greedy, and nobody's willing to budge on a salary cap. The season was cancelled a week or so ago.

Once again, bringing Alexisonfire into every arguement isn't going to embarrass me, or make me not like them. Besides, if his name is Choke, they're lamer than I thought. That's right up there with Rick Ta Life and Freddy Madball. Shut up.

Anonymous (March 3, 2005)

"As if I didn't dislike this band enough, they reminded me that there's no NHL season this year, and for that, I dislike them more."

Why is there no NHL season this year? What happened?

Anonymous (March 2, 2005)

This score is for Slapstick

Anonymous (March 2, 2005)

I know. I bet Choke only wishes his voice could reach the level of Alexisonfire's heartfelt screech!

-BSD

Anchors (March 2, 2005)

As if I didn't dislike this band enough, they reminded me that there's no NHL season this year, and for that, I dislike them more.

Score's for the NBA.

The_Wang (March 2, 2005)

this album title reminds me of michael moore in team america

bring it down, bring it all down!

Anonymous (March 1, 2005)

mmm...slapshot....

xoversux (March 1, 2005)

I give a 5 out of 10.

We could of tried harder.

IheartAdam (March 1, 2005)

Sing it brothers! White power!

Anonymous (March 1, 2005)

jones said a slapshot song so it was funny actually

chinatown knows nothing about hardcore if you call slapshot a gimmick band

score is for being a good band but hating the worlds greatest city and my home, nyc

Anonymous (March 1, 2005)

They sound like a gimmick band.

-Chinatown

sXenester (March 1, 2005)

THIS IS BOSTON, NOT LA!!!

err...
THIS IS BOSTON, NOT NY!!

Fuck, Choke's getting lazy. Where am i gonna direct my scene's anti-scene scene hatred now if we bury old hatchets?