Review Summary: A ripping cross section of alternative rock, hardcore and metal combining incredible songwriting with energy and passion to burn.
Do you own an album that you think is incredible, but no-one else you know seems to like it? That’s the situation for me with this long player by the short lived band Both Worlds. The album was released in April 1998 but the group disbanded abruptly, so there was no single, no video, no tour and minimal promotion. It’s a shame because it has all the ingredients for a great album.
Ex-Cro Mags singer John Joseph shines here providing all lyrics along with plenty of straight edge never say die attitude and enough alluring melody to act as a counter balance. The band (AJ Novello formerly of Leeway on guitar, Eddie Coen on bass and Pokey on drums) charge out of the gates with “Cornered”, raising the bar high and not letting it drop right through to the finish. “Hate Mantra” follows with its stop start opening, a scorching but simple mid section and dual vocal styles. “Spiritual Flu” commences immediately with a jarring riff and crashing rhythm section. Some of the best lyrics are found here, “..running around like thieves in the night, it’s only a matter of time before your ass gets caught. Everyone of us is climbing the walls but suicide’s never a thought..”.
Track 4 “Space Junkies” brings with it some understated verses before a chorus summed up perfectly by its feature lyric, “you wanna blast off into the sunset!”. This song doesn’t quite match the freshness and vitality of its predecessors but it’s still holds its place well. “Free Speech Will Cost You” is nothing short of magnificent. A coiling riff from Novello along with the buoyant rhythm section builds momentum to the point of crescendo, then crashes like a huge wave to the lyric “..there’s no way around it!”. Almost spoken word verses follow and then lead into the pounding chorus (“who do we trust, it’s up to us to bring the walls down”) before the waves crash again. The track concludes with a cool inside out riff and the intertwined melodies brought together perfectly.
A group of evenly paced tracks follow before “Inner Outlet” introduces the most infectious bass line on the album. “Not Of This Earth” is clearly the heaviest moment here with the opening moments something reminiscent of being trapped against an electric fence. The chorus is very short but overloaded with drums and crash cymbals. Then a remarkable sequence of Krishna style instrumentation, short but extremely effective. Before you know it, it’s back to the heavy riffing and all out assault. The final 45 seconds of the track is truly breathtaking, the chorus extended with a devastating guitar riff and Joseph’s passionate vocal line “..We’re Not Everything!!!”. It’s awe inspiring stuff.
The final two tracks are consistent with the earlier material. “When Innocence Was” is a straight up rock track that might have found a place against your standard Nirvana and Pearl Jam staples with the right kind of support. It certainly conveys a positive life affirming message, which is a real highlight across the whole album.
This record is just fantastic. It has the old school hardcore/metal spirit that made certain you could remember a chorus or melody line but still get knocked over by the sheer heaviness. Many people I know just can’t get into it for whatever reason, but if you like the sounds of Deftones, Quicksand, Orange 9mm, Rage Against The Machine, Helmet, Bad Brains, Life Of Agony, Madball, or Sick Of It All, this album is well worth your time.
