| CD REVIEW Death Before Dishonor |
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Band : Death Before Dishonor This Boston based Hardcore’s previous album Count Me In (review by yours truly posted 28/05/2008) became quite a success, debuting on the Billboard Heatseakers, Independent Albums, and Top New Artist charts and staying there for 4 weeks! Evidently, both Regional and National press took notice, as did radio and video outlets. The band then took to the road for a worldwide live promotion of their material, supporting established Hardcore heavieweights such as Agnostic Front, Hatebreed, Madball, and Sick Of It All, as well as more modern Hardcore’s heroes Have Heart and Terror! This brought the band to the complete North American continent, Mexico, Europe & UK, Japan, and even Australia. The new album is a steady step forward, in spite of the fact that following the band’s return home to write the material, they encountered internal problems leading to the recruitment of new drummer Memphis (actually, that’s the only member change mentioned in the bio we got along with the promo copy of the album, but according to my info, former bassist Frankie Puopolo is now replaced by one Rob…and chances are Frankie took over rhythm guitar duties from Dave Capello, now apparently no longer in the line-up). Also, the band found their contract with Bridge Nine had expired…but having felt so much at home with that label, and seen the support it had given them to get to that “next level”, they decided to shove aside all other offers and re-signed with B9! Musically, there’s now definitely a more aggressive touch to the band, I’d say even a more Metal-lic touch, although you can still recognize DBD’s Boston roots. The label puts it as such: “…Produced by Jim Siegel, Better Ways To Die lies somewhere between the harder edge of Rancid, the working class anthems of fellow Bostonians Dropkick Murphys, the Hardcore attack of Hatebreed, and the precision and riffage of Slayer…”, and darn me, but I can indeed see that! But then I’ve had the privilege to listen to the whole of the album. Not all songs are brand-new apparently, as an earlier version of “No more Lies” came on the 2006 re-issue of Friends Family Forever, albeit titled “Game Over” in those days! From the Boston Hardcore mentallity, the boys have retained the short-sharp-shock track attitude, meaning that you can hear out the 11 tracks on this album in less than 25 minutes (which has the debatable advantage that you can listen to the album twice in one and the same hour)! Anyway, if you’d like to listen to some of the album’s material, the boys posted no less than 3 tracks off the new album at myspace.com/deathbeforedishonorbhc (alongside 4 tracks off previous albums, so you’ve got plenty to check out)! If that ain’t enough, go check out the album at your local record store. Pity I got the album for review only in latte Augustus (along with some 45 other releases), or I would’ve been able to tell you that DBD was on a European tour (played the Sunrock Festival in Knokke-Heist on August 7). However, they’re still around in this part of the world, at the time of writing touring the Baltic Sea, and returning for gigs in Amsterdam, London and Peterborough on September 6, 11, and 12, before travelling to Russia (for gigs in Kiev & Minsk) via Köln. These boys have definitely made it, and their new album is certainly “a step ahead”!!! 90/100 Tony. |