Normally it would concern me seeing the amount of hype leveled at a band, let alone one with only three short releases to their name. The demo was released only two years ago; it was energetic and capable but not truly breaking any ground. Then they got signed to Reaper Records and released Stay Cold, a short EP that was once again not breaking any new ground, but was a piece of heavy, fast, and truly emotional hardcore that flew by without sacrificing any anger. They also released a split with Dirty Money from the UK. Strangely enough, every one of these releases got eaten up shortly after release and repressed a few times and still garner ridiculous amounts on eBay.
What does this actually mean to you and I? Well, as said, there was a lot of hype to this release and I would have to guess that this only fueled the band - if they noticed it. Secrets of the World flies by in quick time - just over twenty minutes - and leaves no time to be concerned about interweb hype. "See God" blazes out the gate with a riff somewhat reminiscent of Terror and singer Justice's personal issues with God across his short life. The heaviness continues throughout the album; this isn't to say they waste time giving you mindless breakdown after mindless breakdown or slow any tempos at all. The second song "Believe" recounts tales from their hometown of Baltimore and makes it very clear that they grew up in some unpleasant settings. This urban setting and somewhat gritty realism make their mark throughout the LP, peppering it with hip hop attitude. This is not say there's some white kid awkwardly rapping his way through a hardcore LP trying to act tough. The strength of the album is in the fact that it doesn't stop to let you think until it's already halfway over. After that, it gets back to it's strengths. No posturing - just heavy and fast.
The thing that truly sets this band apart is in the lyrics. As I had mentioned before, there is a truly strong sense of pain and adversity. I certainly don't say this in the sense of your usual tough guy hardcore band spelling out the horrors of their youth and how they are sure to crush you if they see you in "their hood." Instead the lyrics focus on family members lost to addiction and the city streets, the fear of how one gets out of their current situation and the question if one truly can ever make it out.
The downside to this is that there's no broken ground here. This is a faster version of Terror with shorter songs and a slightly less metal approach. This is not to say there are any singing parts or melodic pieces on this album though. It almost seems that the band thought that in order to avoid giving in to the hype they had to only make slight improvements to their sound. I have to say that this plan worked pretty well as the record moves along at a quick clip and gives you little chance to breathe. The production is very clear but just gritty enough to still seem like a hardcore album. The rough edges truly help the record stand out from your usual Bridge Nine super clear production style hardcore.
All in all, Secrets of the World is a record that is definitely worth tracking down. I would be lying if I told you I hadn't been caught in a bedroom mosh to this. This is a very strong release for the band, the label, and Eastcoast hardcore. Go support this band and have fun at their shows - there are enough two-step parts and sing-alongs to get everyone involved.
