Benlavain – Come On People

Ironbound NYC – With A Brick / 2006 Thorp / 10 Tracks / http://www.ironboundnyc.com / http://www.thorp.com / Reviewed 09 February 2006

This is hardcore that should be called such, instead of jock-metal. This mixes thrash, punk, and Slayer-like metal to create something that is hard enough to bang one’s head to but not dark enough that a killer mosh pit couldn’t be started.

The band, which has members of Sick of It All, Nausea, and Killing Time in it, really shows a maturity that goes well beyond the amount of time that this band has been around. The multiple vocals present on a track like the title one really makes it seem like everyone is more than welcome to throw in on this act, a nod to the all-together state of earlier hardcore. The instrumental landscape present on this disc is nothing less than varied, the drums, bass, and guitars all seem to be pulling in different directions, but the vocals seem to bring everything together in an admirable way. Each of the guitar riffs seems to be of the sort people have heard countless times before, but each guitarist is smart enough to put them in a large context that really should be new to listeners. Thus, what is based largely off music coming from the eighties and early nineties works perfectly in 2006. The vocals might be gruff, but at least they can be deciphered; individuals can actually take something from the guttural emanations that simply cannot happen in this day of cookie monster vocals.

Another victory for Ironbound NYC on “With A Brick” has to be the fact that the album has a tremendous amount of cohesion amongst its 10 tracks but does not once seem to be veering into the realm of uninspired metal/hardcore. The inclusion of pit-worthy riffs during various points of the disc ensures that all segments of their fans will be adequately cared for; I would not be surprised if an Ironbound NYC show had equal amounts of mohawks and shaved heads. Unlike their brethren that can also escape the attribute of cohesion to a fault, Ironbound NYC do not split when the tracks hit the one or two minute mark. The songs on “With A Brick” are full, fleshed-out entities that seem to affect individuals in a much more deep way than others. Thus, “With A Brick” is one of the best hardcore albums to come out in 2006 already; the mixture of older styles with an overcoat that screams 2006 really catapult this all-star band into the stratosphere.

Top Tracks: Lies, With A Brick

Rating: 6.6/10

[JMcQ]