No Turning Back

Straight-up, no holds barred hardcore. No Turning Back’s newest album, Holding On is a terrific offering of youth-crew style hardcore with enough modern influence to avoid making it feel dated.

Holding On is No Turning Back’s third full-length since the Dutch band released their first 7” on Boston’s Bridge Nine back in the `90s. Over much of the last decade the band has crafted a sound that has been able to unite a small but respectful group of international hardcore fans passionate about ideals and energy from the scene’s glory days.

Few of the songs on Holding On reach or pass the two-minute mark, making the track listing of 14 songs seem a little misleading. Borrowing heavily from the New York hardcore sound of earlier days, Holding On is full of aggressive vocals, plenty of breakdowns and sing-along moments. While it might seem like a lot to cram into a song under the two-minute, mark the band avoids claustrophobia and instead seems to blow through the barriers with unstoppable energy. While the vocals are sometimes overly masculine, they are complimented with the music, which matches the agression.

Holding On is certainly best suited to listen to in a room full of friends, a cramped car on the way to a show, or better yet, in the band's seemingly unstoppable live show. No Turning Back don’t do anything groundbreaking, but they do make a classic, much-loved sound seem fresh and fun to those outside of the traditional fanbase. It’s likely that if No Turning Back continues on they’ll establish a signature hinted at on Holding On. But in the meantime, it certainly doesn’t help to spin this one.