What we have on our hands here is two European hardcore bands who have joined forces to create an EP to hopefully shove their respective careers in the right direction, but unfortunately this release may hinder more than excite. In my experience, hardcore seems to be one of those genres where you either love it or hate it, and personally, it is usually that black and white. For example I love ‘Since by Man’, ‘Shai Hulud’ and ‘Give up the Ghost‘ but am not really a fan of ‘Sick of it All’ (I await the threatening emails. Sue me.) So generally I love or loathe the music. To me it seems that both these bands just try a little to hard in the execution.
Of both on show it is opening band ‘No Turning Back’ which probably come out of it slightly stronger. Opener ‘Play my Game’ is decent enough with some impressive breakdowns midway through, ‘Worthless Lines’ however never really gets going after a lumbering start. They end with a cover of Breakdowns ‘Vengeance’ which is arguably the best track of all on show. ‘Smile until it Snaps’ opens the Deals offerings and features a superb entrance to the band but falters halfway through while ‘Crumbling Down’ fails to put things in the right direction and final track ‘Don’t Tread’ offers nothing to really bring you back for repeat listens.
It could be said my first paragraph was a little harsh as comparing them to some of the bands above is like comparing Macclesfield to Manchester United, however you feel neither band ever really show their true potential. At a little over ten minutes for six tracks you may feel a little short-changed as well. Hardcore fans may lap this up, but it is certainly not for the casual buyer.
Jay