Band : My City Burning
Album title : Lone Wolves
Label : Own release
Distributor : I Scream Records
Release date : 23/08/2010
Release : CD

In all fairness, I could've given you this review months ago! …? You see, earlier in the year this Amsterdam based Hardcore quartet was peddling a finished full-length demo (in fact the same recordings as on this album) to several of the Belgian record labels. Our editor-in-chief being affiliated to one of those, he was sent a couple of copies of the album, and that's how the promo package first was thrown on my desk, at the same time as which he'd already put a load of some 50 other albums-to-be-reviewed. Of course it took some time for him to process the demo before it came to my desk, and by the time I got around to looking up some additional info (as a completion to the review of the band's 2008 demo EP White Lies/ Black Eyes, posted 01/10/2009) I found out the guys had already signed to I Scream Records in April 2010! So imagine my surprise when I found the new promo package the band sent us had exactly the same contents as the one we'd received earlier! I'm also left wondering what kind of contract the band has with the label, because they're not mentioned on the latter's label yet...except in the tour dates section!

Anyway, the band (lead singer Igor, guitarist/ backing singer Ramon, and drummer Maarten have since the demo found a new bassist in new 4-stringer Spit) spent three weeks' time during December of last year with German producer Kristian Kohlmannslehner (who's cv includes such resounding names as A Traitor Like Judas, Crematory, Final Prayer and One Bullet Left) in a studio, with as a result the 10 scorching tracks we find on this album. In the band's bio, Kohlmannslehner has expressed having felt inspired again due to the guys' incredibly strong new material, stating that MCB “...definitely is one of the strongest up and coming HC/ Metal acts...” he's worked with over the last years. And indeed, compared to the WLBE EP the band has increased the melodic sensibilities in their mixing of Oldschool Hardcore & Thrash Metal. There's plenty of brutal breaks and tempo changes in the material to please even the more seasoned listener, the lead singer frequently vomits his otherwize screamed vocals, and the backings are recorded in a way as to come across as gang shouting. On myspace.com/mycityburning, the band deleted the posting of 5 of the 6 tracks off the WLBE EP, and exchanged 'em for 3 songs off the new album. Check it out! Compared to the EP, it's worth a higher rating to me...and I feel it necessary to state that if I was given more time with the album, it might even do better, end up in my year-lists!

94/100

Tony.