A band of Belgian hardcore enthusiasts who, in the summer of 2003, had only one goal: to stir, shake and move the hardcore/punk scene. Justice, is their name and their latest album Escapades can only be described as powerful. If they were out to change the genre, they definitely succeeded with Escapades. Labeled as a hardcore band, I personally consider Justice to be beyond such a simple definition.
Escapades opens with the powerful "I Need Air," where guitarist "Stief to the Positief" (Stief to the Positive) is joined by Richie Birkenhead on vocals. The song starts of slow and soft, giving off a trippy vibe, before the sounds start to swell and the powerful vocals are unleashed upon the listener. "I Need Air" never becomes fast, but remains haunting and powerful.
"See Me Glow" continues the flow of the album, reflecting the band's barely controlled anger: guitar riffs and drums are pounded into your skull, while Stief's vocals penetrate every living cell of your body. "Don't Tell Anyone" became my personal favorite of Escapades. It musically steps away from any cliché you can imagine about hardcore. It's this song that can be used best to describe Escapades greatest strength: it's not bound to any clichés.
"Unsure," the fourth song on the album, is faster than the previous three, but appears to be held back. It's the perfect song to go full frontal and punk the listener away. It's a missed chance, but it maintains the structure of the album itself. A forgivable mistake, yet one that should be mentioned nevertheless.
From this point on Escapades starts to repeat itself, with similar song structures and instrumentals. Perhaps this is a possible flaw on the album, but it's something the listener should decide for him or herself. Personally, I'm torn. We're listening to hardcore here, a style that's not build upon silly musical technicalities and extremely complicated structures. Problem with Justice is that they do not feel like the average hardcore act. Then again, they aren't your average hardcore band. Justice is much more powerful and moving.
