South Florida’s Until The End is a veritable hardcore supergroup of sorts. With members from Red Roses For A Blue Lady, Walls Of Jericho, Where Fear And Weapons Meet and Morning Again, you can tell from this all-star line-up Until The End mean business.

Blood in the Ink, their Eulogy debut, is 100 percent tough-guy, thugcore, replete with breakaway staccato runs, finger-pointing shouts, simplistic riffing and plenty of attitude. From opening track “Driving this Car Head First into a Wall” to closer “Finger on the Trigger,” Until The End expectedly ram every staple of hardcore down your throat only to rip it back out when they see fit.

At times, the guitar tuning and chord progressions are similar to Obituary’s The End Complete and the vocals of Pete Kowalsky are akin to inflections of Burnt By The Sun’s Mike Olender. At others, the music possesses an early Sick Of It All and Agnostic Front vibe, which, for the floor-punchers and ninja trainees, is a bona fide signal Until The End don’t adhere to shout ‘n’ pout guidelines that’s current in vogue.

Certainly, this quintet won’t win any awards for reinventing the wheel as Blood in the Ink uses repeated themes (riffs, song structure, vocal patterns) in order to magnify their message of a hardcore unity and sonic supremacy. Even if one look at the interior of the album seems to vindicate violence, Until The End wants to punch you bloody for all the ‘good’ reasons. Humor aside, if Hatebreed, Hoods, Skarhead and all the other bands who own more than one pair of brass knuckles are fair game, then Until The End should appeal to you. Those looking for more evolution in the hardcore ladder are strongly advised to head back to the ‘right’ side of the tracks.

[Visit the band's website]

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