Bane

Boston 6:58pm / Los Angeles 3:58pm

Written by: PP on 18/01/2010 18:11:31

"SO THIS IS IIIIIT?" shouts Aaron Bedard in the opening moments to "The Bold And The Beautiful", the first new Bane track since 2005, before the band launches into breakneck speed melodic hardcore guitars that split into hardcore punk riffs every so often, immediately reminding the listener why Bane are considered to be one of the best (if not the best according to many) hardcore band out there. I'm sure you are familiar with the thousands of generic hardcore bands with a yelling vocalist and moshable riffs? Yeah, they all basically want to be Bane, except where Bane succeeds in combining just the perfect balance of heavy, melody, and the message, the others usually end up overloading one of the three, hence their inability to gain exposure outside of the tiny hardcore scene. Only a few bands have succeeded in replicating the Bane formula, most notably Comeback Kid, and to some extent, Ruiner, these two bands being the most obvious reference points when it comes to "Boston 6:58pm / Los Angeles 3:58pm", a double 7" release which also goes by the name "Dublin 11:58pm / Perth 7:58am / Tokyo 7:58am / Curitiba 7:58pm / Rome 12:58am". What's with the times? Basically, seven different photographers took a photo of their city's skyline at precisely the same time and noted down the local time. These would then be the artwork and title for the individual releases around the world.

So what to expect? Energetic, anthemic hardcore/punk which I often like to dub "yellcore" because of the relentless, uncompromising yell of Bedard regardless of track. Some call him monotonous, but when combined with the melodic instrumental base, his voice is what makes the signature Bane sound - if not the signature hardcore sound - so hard-hitting and mosh-inviting in nature. It's kind of like watching a bartender mix the weirdest ingredients into your cocktail and then realizing that it actually tastes kinda nice. Because who can deny the beautiful melody in "Enjoy", the crushing power of "The Bold And The Beautiful", or the superb overall delivery of anger-fueled rage in "As The World Turns?" Hardcore may be a genre sidelined by more trendy stuff these days, but it's bands like Bane and releases like this one that remind us exactly why hardcore will be around long after the trendy genres die; after all a song like "Another World" sounds as fresh and timeless today as the stuff did on Bane's debut album back in 1998.

8

Download: As The World Turns, Another World, Enjoy
For the fans of: Comeback Kid, Ruiner, All Against The World, Have Heart
Listen: Myspace

Release date October / December 2009
Triple-B Records

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