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Freya

Lift the Curse (2007)
Victory Records

Reviewer Rating:

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

Published on March 16th 2007

In the review of Freya’s debut full-length As the Last Light Drains, Punknews editor Aubin commented that the record was "truly and completely confused. The band doesn't seem to know if wants to go for a post-hardcore sound like its contemporaries, or revert to a purely brutal hardcore act [...] Trapped within the record is a strong hardcore EP, and it seems to be struggling with a mediocre post-hardcore band that's just trying to whine its way to the surface." With their sophomore effort Lift the Curse, the band abandons the trendy post-hardcore attempts of their debut for their real strength in brutal metallic hardcore.

Made up of 3/5ths of vegan straight-edge pioneers Earth Crisis, Freya provides an updated metallic sound to fit in with the likes of Cancer Bats or Most Precious Blood that still keeps its roots in traditional hardcore. Breakneck rhythms stop only for ornamented double-bass breakdowns and the ultra-heavy guitars pummel for song after song not letting up until the conclusion of the record, a slightly shortened, but still played-out cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.” “Down to the Last” is the most impressive track on the album, with a lightspeed verse that ducks into a chorus composed of slicing guitars and rhythmic hills and valleys.

The music all flows very well, though partly due to the repeating sounds and musical themes from track to track (the pre-verse and verse of “Alleviate” and “Through the Eyes of the Angel of Death” are almost identical!). Unlike the straightforward social messages of Earth Crisis, Freya is drenched in imagery of Norse myths (after all, Freya is the Norse goddess of fertility, who according to myth, urged a man to kidnap and commit murder in order to start a war).

Freya is proof that Victory Records is not purely devoted to selling watered down substance-less music like Hawthorne Heights or Four Letter Lie to the radio-happy masses. Lift the Curse, imperfect as it is, is a huge step up from As the Light Drains, and a step back in the right direction from a band whose members helped forge a hardcore revolution (love it or hate it) in Earth Crisis.

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moneenerd (March 19, 2007)

I downloaded this hoping itd be way better than SUNLIGHT but it was actually worse. 3 stars is a lot, IMO.

T-tron (March 18, 2007)

screw earth crisis and this band, i'm sure no one but earth crisis face dude listens to this crap

crazytoledo (March 17, 2007)

They are still around, and this is only their second album? Damn.

Two full lengths and a split with Hoods.

crazytoledo (March 17, 2007)

Frayja sucked ass in Shining Force II.

Dude, Frayja is a beast. He's so easy to level, he was as strong as anyone on my force and dude knew Aura 4.

'Nuff said.

As for the album, this is boring hardcore. Not bad, but not good, and not worth the time.

Greenvandal (March 16, 2007)

Good thing these guys abandoned that trendy post-hardcore sound and jumped on the much less derivative metalcore train.

Also, coverart is retarded. If the coverart ain't good then the band ain't good.

Anonymous (March 16, 2007)

"Through the eyes of the angel of death". Cross between a Slayer song and a shitty deathcore band.

Anonymous (March 16, 2007)

I can't decide what's shittier. Christian hardcore, or straight edge hardcore.

Anonymous (March 16, 2007)

the review on there previous album is completely correct.
this album is mediocre to say the most.

but ill give it a couple listens

lol_omg_wtf_nambla (March 16, 2007)

If you're gonna name your band after a Norse god, why drop a Bible reference on your album? That's just confusing.

feeeding5000 (March 16, 2007)

I thought for sure that CrazyToledo would have reviewed this, but I guessed wrong. Oh, well, I never really liked "classic" Victory HC anyway - Earth Crisis pretty much tossed hardcore to the Headbanger's Ball crowd, and riuned SXE's moderately good name. Blecch.

tenwestchaser (March 16, 2007)

They are still around, and this is only their second album? Damn.

JKyle (March 16, 2007)

Oh, these aren't the guys who had a song on GH2? My bad.

Fact-checking is for winners.

Ianw (March 16, 2007)

Freya by The Sword > Freya the band

JKyle (March 16, 2007)

I hate these guys, and it's all because of Guitar Hero II.

Anonymous (March 16, 2007)

Frayja sucked ass in Shining Force II.

-Ken

ashtraymonument (March 16, 2007)

i thought this band died. i used to like the title track from as the light drains in 2003. but now its more or less meh