This review is going to start off with a weird comparison, but here it goes.

I cannot help but feel that there is a kindred spirit between Terror and Cryptopsy on their latest full lengths. Even if they occupy totally different musical spectrums, there are a series of factors aligning them on their new releases.

First off, both have gone through a multitude of serious line up changes and have only really remained in tact due to their talismanic front men (Vogel for Terror, Mournier for Cryptopsy). Secondly, these were two bands that were greatly revered within their respected environments; I remember that when Terror first blew up, you could not go anyway in Europe without seeing legions of people clad in their shirts.

Finally, Terror, like Cryptopsy lost momentum on the back of their last full length and need to prove that they are not only still relevant, but that they are still leaders in their respected musical environments, especially as the competition and the parameters of quality continue to soar.

To be brutally honest, ‘The Damned, The Shamed,’ surprised me. Given the major label backing, the pressure resting on their shoulders, and above all, the sheer lack of quality that was lacking in their last 2 releases, I thought that Terror would be dead and buried on this one.
Now, this record is not intricate, its not cerebral, it does contain surprises but its more abiding to the paradigm of its environment, but rather then this being a hindrance (so apparent on ‘Rhythm amongst the chaos) it’s catalytic in the band’s return to form.

So what it is that they do?

They take the bare bones of hardcore and defiantly construct a vicious, biting and emphatically defiant collection of songs that are as addictively catchy as they are rallying and uplifting.

The opening trilogy all possess those hallmarks of Terror’s past but are so boisterously amplified that it makes it nigh on impossible not to be sucked into their tectonic vortex of masculinity and testosterone. However, its within these opening numbers that one of the album’s biggest surprises lay, that being the melodic reprise of ‘Betrayer,’ that echoes the classic melodic meanderings of the Cro-Mags and Leeway.
At times Terror do endanger themselves in producing a cheesy hardcore MTV anthem (ala ‘I will be heard,’ or ‘Pride (times are changing)’) such as ‘Never alone,’ which is almost constructed purely for that purpose. Amazingly though, they managed to avert this horrific pitfall and the song actually stands as one of the strongest on this collection. Don’t ask me how, but they pull it off and then build on this pummelling momentum on later numbers, affirming the overall strength of the compositions.

Its not the first time that hardcore band has been at the crossroads of complete mainstream crossover, and undoubtedly it won’t be the last. This time out Terror have shown their worth, they have respected their roots, their heritage and shown that catchy, straightforward songs does not have to be the anathema of heavy music.

[Visit the band's website]

---

Comments