"Hey, these dudes are seriously pissed." That's probably the initial thought that comes to mind when listening to These Days debut full-length. Yes indeed, the music is highly volatile and the lyrics are quite hostile at points. But don't write this Norcal hardcore outfit off as just another bro-band acting tough, for These Days are more than meets the eyes' err ears.
After last year's promising Death Sentence, I was greatly anticipating hearing new material from These Days. Well the wait was worth it because These Days picks up right where they left out - high energy hardcore accentuated by the highly passionate lyrical content of vocalist Ryan Needham. On the intro track "These Days" Needham declares "This cold world has frozen my heart / but my blood boils for tomorrow." This statement sums up the mood of the subject matter contained within and sets the tone for the entire album.
These Days team up Needham's brutally bitter yet honest lyrics with aggressive hardcore. Providing the backbone is the hard hitting drumming of Jason Woolery. While he pounds the kit, the guitar duo of RJ Phillips and Alex Capasso piece together equal moments of slaying riffs and heavy breakdowns. The band experiments a little with Phillips throwing a couple of solos into the mix on various tracks. Add in Justin Davis' traditional bass-playing skills and the resulting These Days sound brings to mind Until the End's initial EP.
This album definitely has some crucial hardcore anthems; actually it has a lot, which helps distinguish it from the rest of the hardcore records you are likely bombarded with. Tracks like "This is Ours" and "Guilty as Sin" are flawless representations of what hardcore music should be. There is no shortage of opportunities to sing along, as each song contains both catchy verses and excellent gang-vocal moments.
On "Willing to Suffer" Needham and Joe from Lose None duel back on forth on the vocal front. The two play off each other perfectly while the song runs its course and finally ends over one of the toughest breakdowns ever. I'd say this was an easy choice for my favorite track on the album, but they're all so damn good.
These Days decided to revisit their demo for the album's last track "Never Ending." I rather enjoy it when band's can go back and take a song that is slightly older and make it fit perfectly with most recent material. A lot of times the material can sound dated, but "Never Ending" fits seamlessly and brings everything full-circle.
Shortly after the release of this album, These Days went on indefinite hiatus. These Days would have catapulted them to forefront of the hardcore scene, but now the band will have to settle for having this album serve as a testimonial for how truly good they were. And if they don't choose to get back together, they can at least say they went out in style.
