One King Down

This is a short record, so this'll end up being a short review. One King Down has a pretty interesting history. Their first two releases (one of which is repressed on the CD version of this very EP) featured the remarkable vocals of one Rob Fusco. He had the amazing distinction of singing in a metal-tinged hardcore band, but sounding human. Not that there is anything wrong with the distinctly inhuman sounding vocals in bands like All Out War, or Snapcase, but there is a certain degree of emotion that Rob managed to convey that just couldn't come from screams alone.

Bloodlust Revenge, the last record to feature Rob, was a six song hardcore opus, with nary a bad track on the disc. It was pure ass-kicking, aggressive hardcore, the likes of which I never seemed to hear in the increasing popular by the book, macho hardcore bands that were becoming popular. So, I was eagerly anticipating the full length followup, God Loves, Man Kills, but Rob quit the band and was replaced by another vocalist. This other vocalist had the kind of inhuman vocals I described earlier. I actually liked the record, but it wasn't the same without Rob, it just sounded like a different band all together. So, when I heard earlier this year (from Equal Vision's Ian) that Rob was back, I was thrilled.

What can I say, this is a kickass ep. The biggest injustice is that there are only three songs. The band has matured, and so has Rob. His vocals carry a new degree of intensity, and the sound is updated, but still has the distinctive crunch of One King Down. The bonus EP, I already had, but I was still happy to get on CD, and is definitely a worthwhile bonus, especially considering what Absolve was costing on Ebay. If you like One King Down, or just enjoy new school hardcore, you can't go wrong with this band, or this EP.