I don’t care much for modern hardcore. Being a fan of old school hardcore, as well as the crossover of the late 80s and early 90s, the idea of tough guy vocals, beatdown sections, and karate masquerading as moshing does little to entice me. However, every so often a new hardcore band will come along that captivates me. The latest group to steal my hardcore heart is Florida’s Seed of Pain. On their second album, Flesh, Steel, Victory…, they effortlessly stride the line between beatdown and crossover. It’s punk enough for the punks and metal enough for the metalheads.
The purpose of hardcore riffing is to convey the anger in the lyrics and get the crowd to throwdown. If we’re using this as a basic definition, consider Flesh, Steel, Victory… a clinic in brutal riffing. Songs like “Back Again”, “Damned to the Trenches”, and “Garden of Decay” are loaded with mosh sections. Other songs such as “Hollow Prophet Burning” and the title track are raging blasts of hardcore fury, concise and to the point. My favorite song is “Leadbelcher”. It begins in a slow, sinister buildup with the heaviest riff on the album. After a minute and a half of anticipation, it’s off to thrash city. The only song I don’t care for is the final track, “Hardcore Pride Never Dies”. There’s a little too much beatdown to it for my taste, but I’m sure the hardcore kids will love it.
Scattered throughout the album are spontaneous blurs of guitar solos reminiscent of early Suicidal Tendencies. It might not mean much to your average listener, but to me it shows homage and respect for those who came before. Also evident are lyrics examining the cold realities of life and society. Hard hitting music needs equally hard hitting lyrics. Look no further than “Shades of Revolution”: “Genocide facilitated by demons in disguise. Suppress the masses with delusions of grandeur. Weaken our power through abrasion.” These riffs and lyrics are a deadly one two punch.
Seed of Pain do a great job carrying on what Ringworm started in the early 90s. If you lament for the days before the term “metalcore” was co-opted by major labels and Hot Topic, Seed of Pain is the band for you.
7 out of 10
Label: Plead Your Case Records
Genre: Metalcore
For fans of: Ringworm, Integrity, Power Trip