Review Summary: A solid collection of socially conscious metallic hardcore anthems. Not original in the least, but guaranteed to make you sort of want to change something.
Political hardcore seems to be all the rage these days; a fact not so surprising when little more than passing glance is taken at the tumultuous landscape of American politics since the turn of the century/millennium. Though the sound and aesthetic has been around in one form or another since Ian MacKaye began the seminal Minor Threat with little more than an upstart label (Dischord Records) and a serious wake up call to the youth of America, the current wave of fresh-faced kids flying the political hardcore (policore?) flag have approached the genre a little differently. San Diego, CA metal/hardcore five piece Underminded are a perfect example of the sound of now.
The band (and their contemporaries) eschew nearly every aspect of the hardcore of old. Gone are the brisk paces and short lengths of the compositions; both have been replaced with slower segments and longer, heavier dirges. Throatier, raspier screaming is used in lieu of the tried and true shouting style, and overall, the sound is that of a genre growing up and expanding its territory after nearly 30 years of house arrest.
Similarities remain, however, to the original formula. The political angle of the music is still present and blatant as ever (“The Great American Sob Story” says it all), and the empowering gang vocals that became such a staple to the genre are used to maximum effect in the spectacular latter half of the album. In fact, the album’s biggest downfall is that its finest moments occur in the wee hours of it tracklist. Indeed, the excellent trifecta of closing songs – especially the aforementioned gang vocals and deft melding of punk and metal riffing present in finale “A Soft Prayer Whispered” – easily dwarf anything thrown during the opening volley of Eleven:Eleven.
