Remember when hardcore music had more in common with punk bands as opposed to metal ones? Remember when hardcore music was concerned with getting a message out to the people as opposed to figuring out what shirt and bandana to wear with your new kicks? Remember when hardcore lyrics talked about political and social issues as opposed to whining about a girl whom you never talked to broke your heart? Well Los Angeles natives Skare Tactic remember those days, and are brining them back with a vengeance.
After garnering support throughout the West Coast, Skare Tactic set their sights on conquering the rest of the nation. With their full-length debut for Thorp Records they have the means to accomplish this task. Remember When picks up where their split CD left off, full of hard-hitting and in-your-face hardcore. Musically "Ten Thousand Cries" is heavily influenced by early hardcore visionaries Gorilla Biscuits and Madball, but there is also the hint inspiration from more modern acts such as Hatebreed. As the album progresses, Skare Tactic continue to make use of the same formula, never straying to far off the beaten path. Songs like "Collapse" and "Dead to Me" are comprised of the speeding guitar riffs of Josh Carter and the fast-paced drumming of Tim Brown, which together remind me a lot of Run Devil Run's Sinking Deeper. The bass playing of Tom Delfosse is very conventional to the hardcore sound, following the lead of the guitars through each song. Vocalist Keith Boyle screams his lungs out from start to finish on each song. While he takes a spoken-scream approach to the vocals, the rest of the band provides gang-vocals that make for great sing-alongs. When all this is pieced together in tracks like "Fracture," it's not a surprise fans of Integrity and Terror are left foaming at their mouths. Lyrically, vocalist Boyle touches a variety of topics, including the loss of a loved one to suicide, the poorly run government, and betrayals in friendships. At times the lyrics can seem a bit immature, reverting to excessive profanities. Skare Tactic finishes up with the two strongest songs of the album, "Cross My Path" and "Today Tomorrow Forever." The sing-alongs all over these songs may not seem like much on record, but you can bet the intensity multiplies and there are pile-ons galore when they are played live. My only real gripe with the album is production, which is very rough, sounding almost like a demo session at times. But since we are dealing with the budget of a smaller label, the recording isn't bad for the funds that were likely spent.
Contrary to what popular music magazines have been telling you, hardcore is not about tight-fitting clothes and crybaby lyrics. Skare Tactic knows this and they aren't going to conform to any silly bandwagon trends. They'll keep playing upfront and aggressive hardcore, genuine hardcore, all while screaming: "Death to false hardcore."
