Filed under: Reviews
VIOLENT MINDS-WE ARE NOTHING (Deranged Records, http://www.derangedrecords.com/) The cumulative effects of time, intermittant lineup changes, and periods of inactivity have had less effect than one might think on the caustic assault wielded by the Violent Minds. Throughout the band’s on-again off-again tenure, there has been a degree of consistency and continuity readily apparent throughout their ever growing repertoire.
While “We Are Nothing”, the sophomore LP from the newly revamped Violent Minds, is a less involved undertaking than its predecessor (reviewed below), it does manage to pack a considerable wallop. The same brute stomp and slash HC assails the senses on these eight songs, equal parts NA-prone fracas and anthemic warcry ,with some thrashier tendencies scattered about. Songs like the jarring opener “Total Control”, “We Are Nothing”, and “Scared Of Life” are as incensed and crushing and as anything in the band’s catalog.
The release of “We Are Nothing” hot on the heels of the long-overdue “Eyes of Death” LP, however, renders this chapter in the VM legacy somewhat anticlimactic. Placed within the larger context of their musical development thus far, these latest recordings could be mistaken as an afterthought of sorts, at times sounding like a rough series of outtakes from an earlier session rather than an elaboration upon, and furtherance of, past growth. The band has always championed a stripped down sonic assault, but there is an almost slipshod quality to the garage-y sonics, meager production and loose, jittery eruptions on this record that, at intervals, evoke hints of the unfinished-as if these were demo recordings of songs yet to be fully fleshed out.
The ingredients for an above par hc melee are here, but the musicianship and overall tone on “We Are Nothing” is delivered with less force, complexity, and impact than before. Still, the visceral bite remains intact.-Mike Ramek
Filed under: Reviews
VIOLENT MINDS-Eyes of Death (Parts Unknown Records, PO BOX 4835 Tom’s River, NJ 08754, www.partsunknownrecords.com) In the wake of considerable delays and complications spanning several years, the release of “Eyes of Death”, the first full length LP from the Violent Minds, is finally upon us.
“Eyes of Death” is an elaboration upon the band’s past excursions into a variety of hardcore-related sounds and styles, epitomizing meat’n'potatoes HC bombast and brutality. The surly, bootboy-centric fracas here recalls both the Negative Approach/Necros worship of the band’s self-titled EP and brickwall street rock/Oi! of their “Riot” 7″, channeled through a newfound bent for riff slinging that sometimes evokes hints of Poison Idea. The songs are invariably fast and deceptively simple-a blitzkrieg of early ’80s style rapid fire chord progressions, caustic vocal howls, and brawny rhythms. Closer listening, however, reveals a knack for anthemic arrangements and the occasional melodic hook strewn amidst the fray. The record is also complemented by grim, sparse production which bolsters the sense of unrelenting bedlam throughout.
This release succeeds particularly well as a cohesive whole, with each venomous eruption, from the opening “Brutality” to the closing salvos of “Wolf Blood”, proving memorable and distinct. “Eyes of Death” champions an instantly recognizable no-frills assault, but adds unique depth and creativity to the equation that is all its own. It’s both the band’s finest hour and one of the better hardcore/punk-related records in recent memory. Brannon ought to be proud. -Mike Ramek
