As someone who always thought What Feeds the Fire was just "okay," I was hesitant to believe all the hype surrounding Verse. However, once I actually gave them a fair chance and listened to them myself, I found what all the commotion was about. Each time I listened to their four-song demo I heard something new that I liked about Verse. I feel the same way when I listen to Rebuild. There's so much urgency in this record that it's infectious. Rebuild to me is a homage to a time in hardcore that was more about heart than hair styles and more about passion than posturing.
Initially what grabbed me about Verse was the music. It's fast and heavy, but also very melodic and catchy. It instantly reminded me of the last recordings Turning Point did before they disbanded, a connection that in my opinion is a great thing. The songs are so driving and well written that there's never a dull moment on the record, which is a pretty tough thing for me to say about a hardcore LP.
And although the music may have been what originally attracted me to Verse it was the lyrics that pulled me in. Sean Murphy's lines are bursting with optimism, emotion, and realistic idealism. The idealism I speak of is the kind that fuels personal revolutions: the idea to change, grow and progress. His lyrics are words everyone can identify with to some extent. Each line is one small step in the direction of a positive change rather than just blind sloganeering. Sure, some of the lyrics sound as cliche as it gets, (i.e. "tear down these walls") but overall they are solid and straight to the point.
Verse is not the only band playing this brand of melodic heavy hardcore. They are just the best of the recent bands to do it. If you're into Bane, Burn, late Turning Point, or bands like With Honor and Comeback Kid, it is in your best interest to check out Verse.
