SOIA's umpteenth studio album
One of the first bands I think of when I hear the term New York Hardcore is Sick Of It All. With precisely 20 years of experience behind them, the band is certainly at the forefront of their league and new album 'Death To Tyrants' will solidify that belief.
It's hard to think that band who play such an aggressively, 'anti-social' sort of music can still produce top quality hardcore albums and give an exciting live performance despite being as old as your mum (I had to put that in somewhere). After studio albums on Fat Wreck Chords, punk's most notorious independent label, Sick Of It All have moved to Abacus Recordings in attempt to find a label that more adequately suits their style and get their messages of politics and social awareness across the globe.
I don't really understand how fans reacted to Sick Of It All's decision to leave Fat Wreck for a major label but if fans are clever enough, they'll realise that 'Death To Tyrants' is by far their best record to date. I might not be the right person to make such a claim but this record really does capture the band's sound, as it should sound. The music's still as raw as any other of their records but without the flaws that could be found in albums such as 'Look Around.'
The band has certainly toned down a notch but with this comes song of the greatest gang vocal parts you will ever hear. One song I had fallen in love with 10 minutes after listening to this album was 'Uprising Nation.' Despite having a section of cheesy reverb on some of the vocal parts, it certainly has one of the most entertaining structures of the album. The structure goes something like; energy, energy, energy, energy and meaty breakdown. Another song that shows the enthusiasm of the band is 'die alone' which flows like a storm in a city. Yes the album isn't pitch perfect but it has its ups and downs just like any other album. But one thing is for certain are that Sick Of It All show now sign or slowing down, let alone stopping.
With rumours stating that the band will be playing Reading and Leeds festival this year, be sure to catch the band and their brand of hardcore at it's finest.