As far as I currently know, Holland is good for one thing, and one thing only: Amsterdam, the modern day haven for any sort of illegal (in the States) activity that one can think of. The Dutch are also apparently pretty well-versed in the ways of old-school hardcore. Wait -- the Dutch? Hardcore? It's true; Restless Youth's State Of Confusion EP has turned a band who started out playing Bad Brains covers for fun into a full-fledged blast of grit and exuberance.

The EP is a double whammy of hardcore goodness, with State Of Confusion starting with 6 new songs, and also including the now out of print Bad Trip demo. It's eleven songs in all, but the EP itself barely breaks the 17-minute mark. Short, sweet, and energetic, just the way it was intended. The scrappy, to-the-point vocals of J. Restless fuel these hyper-charged songs, only holding off for some quick but impressive guitar work from the chords of Christafari. He's no guitar virtuoso, but the man can handle himself well for what he's playing, and it helps to give a really authentic old-school sound to the music. With that authenticity comes very, very simple song structures, just how it should be. Loud, fast, and raw are the mantra of Restless Youth, and it's a schtick they pull off in a superb manner.

Also well pulled off is the bridge between the EP and the demo that's included on it; the transition in both recording quality and musicianship is so seamless you'd most likely never even know the difference. Surprisingly, the best song to be found here is also the longest; "Walk The Earth" closes in on the three-minute mark, and shows the highest level of musical diversity to be found on the album. Screeching guitars and angry vocals go back and forth in a song that gets better and better as it goes on.

Austin Powers' father may detest the Dutch, but Restless Youth have finally given people a reason besides Amsterdam to disagree.