Have Heart
Songs to Scream at the Sun

Much like label mates Verse, Boston’s Have Heart play a form of modern melodic hardcore, but where Verse came across as more introspective and varied, Have Heart, while still emotional and honest, have a more expected, tighter and angrier, typical hardcore delivery, though still impassioned and honest.

More traditionally based around rousing power chords and layered melodies, Bane and Comeback Kid are reasonable comparisons, and armed with a Kurt Ballou production the overall sound is grittier and sharper than Verse. Still, Have Heart have the same levels of passion and personal angst and do occasionally veer into slower, more controlled moments of anthemic power like the last moments of “On A Bird, In a Cage”, “Brotherly Love”, interlude “Reflections”. It’s not quite as evocative as Verse, as for the most part, Songs is your typical, rousing contemporary, punk fueled hardcore affair littered with mid paced fury, gang chants and melody (“The Same Son”, “Bostons”, “No Roses, No Skies”, “The Taste of the Floor”, “Hard Bark On The Family Tree”, “The Same Sun”)

Of note is the gravelly delivery of vocalist Patrick Flynn, whose gritted teeth growls and shouts seem generally personal and the conceptual lyrics about growing up and coming of age of a young boy are a refreshing change from the usual chest pounding machismo and scene scoring anthems of unity and brotherhood blah, blah, blah.

Another above average release from Bridge Nine and another hardcore releases that sits atop 2008s impressive heap.

[Visit the band's website]
Written by Erik T
August 18th, 2008

Comments

  1. Commented by: swampthang

    good band good dudes, this, verse, and killing the dream = sweet year for hardcore. so you gunna review new Ceremony cuz that would be rad bro.


  2. Commented by: Erik Thomas

    yeah we got the Ceremony in, but i think i sent it to another writer.


  3. Commented by: swampthang

    ohh icic you gotta check it out though shits karazy


  4. Commented by: Erik Thomas

    yeah its in my ipod-it and the new Cold War are pretty out there for hardcore


  5. Commented by: xBenx

    Sweet review Erik. But did you mean Cold war or Cold World? New Cold World is brilliant.


  6. Commented by: Erik Thomas

    Ben-its Cold World “Dedicated”-feel free to review it.


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