A lot of bands get labeled as "angry" or "pissed off" as a result of their lyrical content, and I'm sure you could apply those same adjectives to Know the Score. However, I feel that doing so would be doing a great disservice to them, not to mention those descriptions are rather played out. I feel a better way to describe Know the Score is as "honest." You may disagree. Hell, the band probably would disagree with me too. But that's exactly what I love about this band, they're not afraid to come out and say whatever is on their mind.
All Time Low is the band's second release, their first for Eulogy Recordings. The seventeen-song effort clocks in at just over twenty minutes. Most of the songs don't even hit the minute mark. But that's okay! "Terminal" jumpstarts things with twenty-second blast of high-octane hardcore followed by a nice groove breakdown reminiscent of early crossover acts. "$2000 Guarantee" follows, lasting only thirty-something odd seconds. But in that time there are some choice lyrics including this morsel:
You're a novelty that's warn away / admit defeat, you've had your day / no one cares now and no one cared then / don't even try, just stay fucking dead.
Know the Score continue their assault to a soundtrack of song after song of straight up aggressive hardcore. "Hammerhead" features some great bass parts as well as an awesome upbeat bridge section. "God Damn Rich Cunt" and "Hit and Run" last four seconds each - they're short blasts with just a few quick riffs and blasts of the drums partnered with one-line lyrics. Nobody writes songs like this anymore - more should. There are your typical hardcore formula songs as well. "State of Disgrace" is nearly two-minutes long and demonstrates their influence from the mid-90's metallic hardcore scene.
Know the Score did choose to revisit a few songs from their debut, All Guts, No Glory. One of those songs is my personal favorite, "Ex Members of I Don't Give a Fuck." I can't get enough of that song. We also encounter the songs "Red Sox Nation My Ass" and "Safety in Numbers" from their debut. They sound pretty much the same as the originals; my guess is they just wanted to get them out to a larger audience on this release. No harm in that.
I thought about copying and pasting a few of my favorite lyrical excerpts from the album here. But after doing so, I ended up with more than half the album and felt it was a bit excessive. So instead, I'll just recommend you check them out when you pick up the CD.
As for the non-musical aspects for the album, the layout is pretty standard. We've got a pin-up girl in various poses throughout the release - oh la la. The production is quite good - props to the sound engineers. The mix is perfect with no one instrument or the vocals coming in too high or low. I especially love the bass tone that they got on this release; it reminds me a lot of the Cleveland hardcore band State of Conviction.
All Time Low is what hardcore music should sound like. The music is fierce and the lyrics have quite a bite. Don't sleep on this album, its one of the best hardcore records of the year. Yeah, that was cliche, but I don't care, it's true.
