Review Summary: 6 minutes of great music.
Peace on Earth, War on Stage not only has one of the best album titles of the year, but is also the best EP of the year as well. Hailing from Philly, Blacklisted are one of the biggest names in hardcore today, and one of the few big names that foregoes all that lame brocore *** that’s clogging up the genre. With their new EP, Blacklisted solidify their position as one of the top bands in the genre.
Starting off with “Ivory Tower”, you’ll see that Blacklisted are still heavy as ***. While there aren’t as many breakdowns as their previous EP’s and full length, the band is way tighter than they ever were before, and with help from producer Kurt Ballou make a fuller and more engaging sound than ever before. The band all work perfectly with each other, from a hammering rhythm section to the pulverizing guitar work.
Vocalist George Hirsch also steps it up on the album, singing and shouting with more confidence than ever. His lyrics also stand apart, telling of his flaws and the missteps of others with an honesty that’s rare to see. He doesn’t get stupid or too self-deprecating, and its more of an uplifting message than just a jaded picture of society.
“Canonized” shows Blacklisted at their heaviest, “Memory Layne” shows them at their best, “Setting Sun” shows them at their lyrical best, and “Ivory Tower” is just the perfect representation of what they are about. The EP only runs at about 6 minutes, but it’s a flawless 6 minutes from one of the best.
Peace on Earth, War on Stage is one of the best punk releases of the year, and they’re a hell of a live act to boot.
