First off, I’d like to warn and apologize to Digitalmetal readers about the impending influx of contemporary hardcore/punk reviews about to inundate the site. It is fall after all. Second I’d like to tell Digitalmetal readers about the best of the bunch of this aforementioned contemporary hardcore/punk I’ve received in the mail in the from of Uppsala, Sweden’s The 21st Impact.

Swedish (or European for that matter) hardcore is a untapped resource for me, so to hear something this good come from Sweden has me scouting the ‘net (mostly Aversionline.com) for more hardcore from that area. What’s on tap is the band’s second album packaged together with their debut album (originally released on Canada’s Freedumb Records in 2002) making for 23 tracks of catchy, raging, power chord laden contemporary melodic hardcore in the style of Killing the Dream, Bane, Comeback Kid, Give Up The Ghost, Ignite and more recently (in my mailbox) Have Heart, Dead Hearts and Passion (I’m sure there’s more accurate bands of reference, but I’m limited in my European hardcore knowledge), and it’s rather good.

Anthemic, energetic, gang chant filled, but still somewhat nasty (especially vocally and production wise), The 21st Impact do their thing with gusto, though admittedly the 23 tracks (the debut is barely identifiable from the second album) do blend together in one short, swirling gang chant ridden ball of energy. However, couple of tracks were worth repeating as opener “Alright, All Wrong”, (the all too short), “Pete Song”, “Try”, “Hard Time, Good Times”, the burly “Strength”, “Won’t Step Aside”, “Won’t Get to Me” and “Together In a Circle Pit” (a crowd favorite I imagine).

The first album is a bit lighter in the shoes production wise, but has the same high octane mix of driving, melodic hardcore with few slower tracks and lots of gang chants. By Erik Thomas

[Visit the band's website]

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