Let's face it, since the departure of Earth Crisis in 2001, there hasn't been a prevalent force in the vegan straightedge scene. I suppose Undying made an attempt at it, but with constant lineup problems and a lack of touring, they never quite got on track. xMaroonx also had a shot at it, but they really haven't toured outside of Europe, and they've recently dropped the "x"-s from their name - some might see that as selling out. So when compared to the mid-90's when we had bands like Culture, Morning Again, Purification, and Earth Crisis, among others, it is easy for me to say that the vegan scene has been lacking. Well Eye of Judgement is here to take up the torch and bring meaning and notoriety back to the vegan straightedge scene.
The New Crusade begins with "Submission is for the Weak." The title suggests exactly what the lyrics convey: a pro-straightedge agenda. This lyrical excerpt sums things up:
There will never be another way for me / That is what I promise you / Never surrender to your shameful habits / Even in death my convictions will be the same.
As is to be expected with a vegan band, Eye of Judgement also tackles the topic of animal rights on a number of different occasions. "Corruption of Truth" compares the senseless killing of humans in the Holocaust to the slaughtering of innocent animals. To me this is a little bit of a stretch, but I can see how someone of the vegan lifestyle would make this comparison. "Trial by Fire" is a call to arms against the "Holocaust of the 21st century" with a demand to "burn the death camps."
The band tackles even more topics. "The Black Lunged Plague" is an anti-smoking piece. And being a huge advocate of smoking bans, I back the lyrics of this song, even if they are a bit extreme. "Every cigarette you smoke / I pray that you will slowly choke." On "Nihilism" we encounter a series of lyrics about being surrounded by the pessimistic world and dealing with overcoming it. The band also reference consumerism, conformity, and pollution over the course of the album. It's nice to come across a band with a real message in their lyrics.
Okay, but what about the music? Eye of Judgement truly shine in their musical capacity. The band delivers a mix of aggressive metallic hardcore that draws heavily from the mid-90's hardcore scene, but also incorporates a fair amount of metal flair into their songs. Stylistically, they sound most like Integrity musically, but with some beefed up guitars (no pun intended). The vocals aren't your typical hardcore yells; they're much more coarse and almost death-metal at points. They aren't growls by any means, but screeching screams.
The production quality is pretty solid through the first six tracks. The last five tracks, on the other hand, are taken from the band's 2005 demo recording that was released as a 7" last year. They sound a bit rough around the edges, but they are just a demo. So you really can't expect them to sound perfect.
For a debut full-length effort, The New Crusade is an impressive body of work. The lyrics have a lot of meaning, something typically missing from all music today - not just hardcore. Musically, Eye of Judgement is fantastic. I will say that if you're not open-minded about your lyrics, you might want to pass this one up, especially if you love drinking, smoking, and eating beef. But if you miss the days of Earth Crisis and Vegan Reich, say hello to your new favorite band.
