International Superheroes Of Hardcore

Takin\' It Ova

Written by: PP on 12/05/2008 02:54:24

Did you ever imagine New Found Glory writing hardcore/punk hybrid music that draws as much from NYHC as it does from Good Clean Fun? Me neither. But yet here we are. International Superheroes Of Hardcore is the side project of all New Found Glory members, except with Jordan and Chad swapping their roles to guitar & vocals respectively. They are another brilliant example of how to write songs polar opposite to your \'normal\' style without having to sacrifice the sound all your fans love so much. \"Takin\' It Ova\" is the debut record of the band, and it\'s humorous/posi-hardcore at its very best.

Like all superheroes out there, ISHC have a theme song (\"ISHC Theme Song\"), a fierce hardcore anthem full of gang vocals and angry, yelled vocals, which boots the album off. Lead by Captain Straight Edge (vocalist Chad), the band storms through 12 tracks and 15 minutes of hardcore (!) leaving no fan of the genre cold, and more probably, leaving the listener laughing his ass off at their tongue-in-cheek x 10 attitude present on every single track on the album. That is, if they have time for that in between catching breath from the furious circle pits that every single song of the band is bound to create. With lyrics like \"TIGHT BLACK CLOTHES! YOU LOOK LIKE A FREAK! YOU THINK YOU\'RE SO COOL, YOU\'RE THE FLAVOR OF THE WEEK!! SCREAMO SCREAMO GOTTA GO\" already on the second song, it\'s clear that the band\'s lyrical universe isn\'t all too serious.

But that doesn\'t mean they can\'t talk about serious topics while joking around. How many bands do you know of that can pull off an infectious chorus full of awesome screaming and brutal breakdowns about wearing a seat belt? Check out the \"NEVER FORGET, NEVER FORGET!\" gang vocals on \"Seat Belt\". Or take \"Dirty Mouth\", which teaches kids that \"you can say freak\" instead of f***. Keep in mind that because these topics are so rare in the music industry, you can\'t help but laugh at the band, no matter how genuine their message is. I guess lessons learned in jokes get through better to the youth than serious talks, anyway.

Continuing on the tongue-in-cheek line, the band pays their dues to Madball on \"Madball\'s Got Our Back\", a song which \"goes out to Cpt. Straight Edge\'s favorite hardcore band in the world, the other international superheroes of hardcore..\", finishing off in an awesome \"MADBALL RULES!\" repetition. \"Fashion Show\", another gang-shout filled anthem, has a message that you don\'t have to look \'scene\' to got a show because \"if you like hardcore then [ISHC] think you rule!\".

The superheroes of hardcore have a stab at other superheroes on \"Superhero Sellouts\": After announcing that Captain Straight Edge and the ISHC will never sell out to Hollywood, the tempo is twisted into punk mode, and Cpt Edge yells \"SUPERMAN!!..made a movie... SPIDER MAN!.. made a movie... HULK! WHO\'S NEXT!? SUPERHERO SELLOUTS! X-MEN!!..made a movie..\" - you can guess the rest.

The fact that all of these songs are among the best hardcore / melodic hardcore / punk hardcore songs written in the last year showcases the talent of the New Found Glory guys. The raw hardcore sound that ISHC possesses sounds so effortless that it\'s difficult to imagine the band members write pop punk for a living. Mad props to them.

By now you\'ve surely got the point of \"Takin\' It Ova\" so I don\'t want to reveal more. It\'s much more fun to stick the CD into your player and laugh endlessly at the lyrics, which although hilarious to the point of having you roll on your floor laughing, have an underlying message to the hardcore scene: stop being so serious and have some fun, it\'s okay to laugh at yourself every now and then. That\'s why \"Takin\' It Ova\" is my favorite hardcore record this year without a doubt.

Download: Seat Belt, Madball\'s Got Our Back, Screamo Gotta Go
For the fans of: Sick Of It All, Madball, Good Clean Fun, New Found Glory
Listen: Myspace
Buy: iTunes

Release date 29.04.2008
Bridge Nine Records

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