Review Summary: Furious, passionate and filled with melody but still not quite reaching the plateau of excellence this band has ascended in previous efforts
Some bands have so much energy, so much passion and drive that it is almost impossible not to fall sway to the output of sheer ferocity that they shove into your every sense.
One such band is Raised Fist. From looking at the history of a band like this, it's impossible not to respect the DIY ethic this band has taken. After being together for over 17 years, Raised Fist have been creating a unique brand of hardcore punk which grabs you and never releases. Never accepting mainstream popularity or diminishing the fiery political and social issues that are discussed throughout each song, Veil Of Ignorance, for the most part is an extremely solid outing for the Swedish group.
Friends and Traitors launches as a full fledged assault, blistering harsh screams and downtuned guitars carry the theme of betrayal and discovering true friends. The drums, while nothing special, do a solid job carrying each song with ferocity and solidarity. Follow up track
They Can't Keep Us Down is one of the weaker tracks on the album, extremely repetitive and lacking in variety.
Wounds finds RF experimenting with slower rhythms and stop-and-go guitar work, while lyrically dealing with past issues which seem to be unable to stay suppressed. The band continues to employ this furious approach with groove filled tracks like
Volcana Is Me and
I Have To Pretend. Mixing slow and fast verses/bridges and hook filled chorus's, it's hard not to find yourself screaming along with lyrics such as:
And I have to pretend that I still have lots of friends, That are backing me up but they back me up against the wall I guess the story tells it all you can't help but sing along and sense the despair and sincerity in vocalist Alexander's vocals.
After you have listened to the entire record, the major flaw that rears its head is that it all starts to blend together. Little variation or differentiation manifests and for someone looking for many different elements, this record may not be what you seek. However the excellent mix of heavy riffs and melodies make this record one of the better records released in 2009. One aspect many will find intriguing is the fact that you can really hear the bass in every song. The bassist does not always follow the guitar riffs and indeed branches out and experiments to a good effect. RF does not play music you have not heard before, but the difference from them and many bands that
they make it sound completely sincere, something many bands are lacking in this time of music history.
This band's music is realistic and honest. 4 guys playing each instruement with passion and skill. Whether you have been a fan of Raised Fist's previous records
Sound of the Republic,
Dedication or
Ignoring The Guidelines or if this is your first listen this is indeed a furious, and passionate record to check out if you enjoy punk or hardcore.
