One of the longest held beliefs that I have when it comes to music is the phrase “of its time” is basically nonsense.
No one ever listened to Rory Gallagher or Thin Lizzy and said “yeah, it was alright, but it sounds dated now.” I can listen to some of the music I grew up with and cringe, but maybe – you know – just maybe, it was shit in the first place?
Fast forward to tonight. I was driving home from work in the spring dusk. It was chilly in the English Midlands and it was drizzling. Somehow, “Trapped In A World” resonated even more than normal.
In common with Terror’s endeavours last year, this is a mining of their older material. The current line up got together with Nails’ Todd Jones to record a session of stuff that was made up from tracks found on their early material.
This is interesting in a couple of ways. Not least because Jones was in the band himself back in them days – and wrote many of these. But also, and this speaks to my intro point, it is entirely possible to listen to this album and not have a clue.
This is first because it sounds fresh, no issues, but moreover because these studies in brutality (unlike the Tuff albums I had) will never get old.
12 slabs of noise and aggression (it is impossible to call them “songs” lets be honest) that veer from laser guided range to being bludgeoned with a concrete block, pass by at a million miles an hour – the whole record clocks in at less than 25 minutes – and it is utterly relentless and totally remorseless.
One of those albums, in fairness where reviewing it conventionally and talking about the songs in turn is pointless, because from the opening “Lowest Of The Low” to the ending “Push It Away”, this is about a vibe, about a feeling – and moreover about catharsis.
Stuff like “Life And Death” doesn’t do light and shade, it instead is about a primal scream. When the band scream “I don’t fucking care” in unison, almost, it means it. “Fuck everything and everybody” thunders the first line on “Out Of My Face” (and Scott Vogel charmingly rhymes “rats” with “twats” too).
Even the breakdowns on the likes of “Keep Your Distance” are more like beatdowns, yet for all the desperation on “Less Than Zero”, there is a real empowerment about “Overcome” a real determination to overcome the struggle,
It’s overwhelming, at times, just how heavy this is. This band actually is surely the heaviest of the hardcore line, “Better Off Without You” is one thing, but “Crushed By The Truth” is a sledgehammer to the balls of anyone who needs to hear it.
“Not This Time” is positively prog rock at nearly three minutes, which they follow up with “One With The Underdogs” and comes in with a real outsider spirit, while “Keep Your Mouth Shut” slows down (not much, its all relative) to crush just a little more.
Bands revisiting their past is fraught with problems, usually, but somehow Terror and hardcore in general seems to be immune from any. Maybe because we are literally in a world, right now, who knows.
What I am more certain about is this: this is a band that is right up there with the very best that hardcore has to offer. Do not file under easy listening.
Rating 8/10
