Old Wounds is a metallic hardcore band from Red Bank, NJ, formed in the year 2010 I believe. I personally have been following their music since 2011, seeing them
perform first as part of the second RTF Fest at Asbury Lanes. At the
time, I thought they were just a strong local band with that dark punk
style I preferred, and was also going for with my own band. It soon was evident that they were not only in it for the long term, but that they
were bringing in influences that included my favorite all-time hardcore
sounds.
The release of their Old Wounds II cassette
and the
addition of Kevin on vocals this past summer was a watershed moment, which ended up paying off in a big way. The current
lineup seems to fit perfectly, and choosing to constantly tour definitely raised the bar in terms of their musical prowess.
The
album's got both tracks from the "II" cassette - Bleak and Deviant
Minds, 1 track from their split with Changes - "New Fortunes," and 2
tracks from the S/T EP - "Born To Mourn," and "Hellbent." There are 7
new tracks of course too, which are truly their best output thus far.
Back in the day I helped put on a show with Disembodied, Nora,
& Clubber Lang. Bands like Botch, Most Precious Blood, and Shai
Hulud were the best shows at Club Krome. It's these bands and much more that Old Wounds channels on their debut LP.
There's also some satisfying NYHC/punk and almost EyeHateGod-like sludgy
aspects in the mix as well. One cannot definitively pin them down to any
particular subgenre... it's a unique breed of negative hardcore, not seen around very much these days.
I would recommend this album for fans
of Code Orange Kids, Converge, and the aforementioned 90s bands. Hardcore seems to ebb and flow, concurrently pushing the envelope and exploring its past... We're part
of a true renaissance in the scene... it's been happening over the past
5 years or so. Anyone looking to get into something real... even if you
are just getting into HC now... buy this record! Amongst a sea of pretenders, this is honest, and has passion and fury behind it. Without a doubt, Old
Wounds is among the best bands playing hardcore!
*Not for fans of 'verb-the-noun,' gauged piercing, Bieber hair metalcore!!!*
Review score: 4.5/5
At the release show I bought an advance copy of the LP for myself and one for a
friend directly from the band. The records are hand numbered out of 50. The artwork, which I believe was designed by Brandon, came out great. A full lyric sheet is included too... They
seem like really good dudes, Zak introduced himself to me and I also had met
Brandon previously. If you were not lucky enough to get to the show
& score a pre-release copy, the new record is shipping now and can be ordered through Hellfish Family.
(Also - if you haven't checked out my post about the record release show yet, there's a shaky cam video of the band performing the title track)
Old Wounds Is:
Zak Kessler - Vox/Guitar
Kevin Iavaroni - Vox/Bass
Brandon Gallagher - Percussion
No comments:
Post a Comment