Band : To Kill

Album title : When Blood Turns Into Stone

Label : GSR Music

Distributor : Suburban

Release date : 16/05/2008

Release : CD

Although I have a high respect for GSR 's achievements in the European Hardcore music scene, I have to say that occasionally the Dutch label shows a streak of chauvenism. Granted that, in the case of many Hardcore acts that signed to the label, their profil went up a serious amount of notches up the international appreciation scale, but to ignore in the biography of a band that they had a history prior to GSR , and as such suggesting that a band's activities started when it signed to the label (as they also did in the bio of Apocalypse Now , review posted elsewhere at the same time) is to deny credit to the band for all the work it's already put into its struggle to rise from the mere Underground to a higher profile.

Semantics aside, for Rome based To Kill things started in 2004, when the five friends xJoshx (vocals), U-Go! (guitar), Fed eric o (guitar), Tommi (bass), and Jai (drums), drifted together from their former bands The Difference , The King , and Face The Fact , to form a new unit. Later that year, their opening demo was soon burned on a mini-CD by Still Life Records (the first pressing of which sold out within two weeks). Thanks to the experience of the members in their previous outfits, the band already did a short tour of the US that same year, returning early January 2005! Keeping up their continuum, the band immediately returned to the studio, and late May that year saw the release of the band's debut full-length on the Am eric an Catalyst label (again, the first pressing was sold out within weeks of release). Leading up to a month-long European tour with Michigan's Let It Die (who'd just released an album on the Still Life imprint and has former Black Dahlia Murder members in its line-up), the band did a small tour of Germany and Sardinia, played some shows over the Summer, and also recorded 4 tracks for an upcoming split CD with Clearview , released by Brazilian label Liberation Records in the Winter of 2005. During the October tour, U-Go! , who couldn't come along, was replaced by guitarist Camilla .   Name-drop worthy bands with whom the stage was shared with during the tour (which was to take TK to Germany, Austria, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, and more), were Walls Of J eric ho , Terror , Stretch Arm Strong , and The Promise , amongst others. After the tour, they first supported Bane and Comeback Kid on the Italian and German dates of their European tour in November, then recorded a video for the track "No Voice" (which you can still view at the band's official website moshtokill.com), got endorsements from Atticus clothers and MacBeth shoes, and were again out on the road for some gigs in Germany (and even Holland) finishing the month of November with a festival also featuring Undying (US), Maroon (Germany), and Liar (Belgium) to name but a few. In december more endorsements came from Bulk Music Industries , who would provide the band with strings, picks and drum sticks...followed in February '06 by cymbals from Saluda . Before that, TK was planned on a full US tour and an appearance at the February Liberation Festival in Brazil. Initially, TK was to go on another European tour in support of The Warriors (US) and Fc5 (Japan) from May 19 th to June 11 th , but somehow those dates got cancelled. In stead, the boys (and girl, because Camilla again replaced U-Go! ) went on a couple of short trips to Germany, Poland, The Chech Republic, Holland and Belgium, and returned home to record drum tracks for a new full-length album with Daniele Autore (of Vanilla Sky fame) from 6 to 18 June. Further recordings would be done during July and finished in August, but in between the guys continued their merry little life, playing some Summer festivals ( Burning Season in Austria early July, Sucksnsummer Fest in early August), and again got some endorments ( C & 1 Custom Drums , Schecter guitars, Aquarian drumheads, and Brave amps).

Late September news came that the band had signed with GSR Music for the release of their next albums, Vultures already being issued in November. That same month, TK started a European tour with Metal act Gather (USA), taking 'em into most of December. Information on the band's adventures in the following year is blurry to say the least, the band hardly finding time to update the news section on their website as they are constantly out on the road. One of the things which apparently happened, is the departure of second guitarist Fed eric o , whom was duely replaced by Camilla . According to the (label) bio, a huge amount of loose shows followed up front of the band's most important European tour to date in support of Swedish Hardcore veterans Raised Fist and Canadian act I Hate Sally .

Having finished writing session in late November, the band was looking forward to laying down basic track for the new recording during December, continuing the recordings in late January after an 18-day tour around Europe with Verse (during which most everyone got ill with over 38 degrees of fever). By February 19, the band announced that the album, recorded by Alex at Hellsmell Studio in Rome, and then mixed & mastered by the famed Tue Madsen in his Danish Antfarm Studio . As a result, the sound is incredibly compact and clear, and showcasing perfectly the influences of life on the road with 11 truly aggressive Hardcore songs in which the band has also put their usual influences from Metal and Mosh without loosing the Hardcore essence! The music pummels at full throttle speed throughout the album, finding a calmer passage only in the hidden album closing instrumental. Overall, the shouted vocals follow suit, getting occasional gang style backings to sing-along effect. As per usual, the label has quoted some references to use, so if you're a fan of Terror , Bane , Have Heart , or Integrity , be sure to check out the band's music at myspace.com/tokill, where you'll not only find one track off the band's debut MCD and one off the split with Clearwiew , but also two off Vultures and another two off the latest offering!

Me? I like...very much in fact! But not enough to add the record to my "Best Albums Of 2008" list...but I'm sure it will get into some of yoùrs. In my case, the problem was simply that I have a very heavy workcase and was unable to give the album the amount of listening sessons to allow the material to creep under my skin and into my heart! Still, a véry good Metal-tinged Hardcore album by many standards! The guys have just finished a short tour with Parkway Drive , Bury Your Dead , and Suicide Silence , and played at the Nuits De L'Entrepot festival alongside Terror , Rise And Fall , and Agnostic Front in Arlon on May 3 rd , then travelled all the way to Russia for 4 gigs, and was back in Belgium at Gent's Frontline on May 8 th ...which makes this announcement richly late. If you've missed them this time around, it might be some while before they come over again, but since these Romans are almost constantly on tour, chances are they might be back later this year...let's hope so.

93/100

Tony.