Backstabbers, Inc was one of those bands I had previously ‘smiled and nodded’ at, as their previous effort, the collection entitled Bare as Bones, fell into the A.C. trap of having better titles than songs.

With Kamikaze Missions, B.S.I. has taken a giant step forward and this release should serve to make them contenders with the new breed of crust/sludge hardcore upstarts, such as Tragedy, Remains of the Day and Kylesa, among others. While these songs are certainly fast and furious, B.S.I. somehow find room to infuse some atmosphere and pacing into their songs, and where Kurt Ballou’s production is a bit rough around the edges, the bands urgent attack on their instruments slices right through the fuzz and cuts you up proper.
The most impressive aspect of Kamikaze Missions is that not only are B.S.I. pissed as all fuck, they actually have good reasons for their rage. The lyrics are emotional and direct, and instead of simply invoking old hardcore cliches as so many lazy writers are apt to do these days, songs such as ‘Ask, Answer’, ‘*****’, and the anthemic ‘Even Slaves…’ breathe new and bitter life into the standards, making the band’s anger seem fresh, virulent and well-justified. The compositions twisted around the words are simple yet creative and create a tornado like momentum of raw hatred and energy riding the up-and-downward spiral of desire and disappointment.
In a time when most hardcore bands are so eager to stuff themselves into the most convenient and profitable pigeonholes, Backstabbers, Inc’s Kamikaze Missions honorably crashes into the twin towers of complacence and conformity, and the scariest part is that they’re not crazy, they are doing this for your own good. Fucking A.

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments