Survival is the debut full-length from No Apologies. This five-piece outfit comes from the land of koalas and aborigines. This album is filled with plenty of moshy New York-inspired hardcore, but there is also a hint of Westcoast flavor - not a surprise when one discovers Todd Jones (Terror, Carry On) wrote two songs for the album. Tracks like “Survival,” “Nothing,” and “Reality” will easily get crowds up and moving with their scorching guitars and punishing breakdowns. And while there are some really good tunes, there are those that just don't cut it. One other notable song is the closer, “Succumb,” and its use of the traditional Australian instrument, the didgeridoo.
Where I feel that No Apologies is lacking most is in the vocals. They just don't grab me like other hardcore bands. Perhaps they just weren't placed high enough in the mix to take charge of the songs… All in all, Survival is decent record, but it just doesn't seem to reach out and pull me in. Perhaps they are livelier in concert, thus improving the quality of the songs here.
