Review Summary: Stop the press; Liferuiner have matured.
Liferuiner were originally formed as a straight-edge hardcore band under the slightly different moniker of xLIFERUINERx. They stood out and made fun of the more mainstream straight-edge bands by writing lyrics about death and hate, rather than preaching their lifestyle. xLIFERUINERx released two albums,
No Saints, and
Taking Back The Night Life, both to little acclaim. They returned in 2011 under the altered name of Liferuiner and a completely new line-up, with only original vocalist Jonny O’Callaghan remaining.
After two unimpressive and immature albums, it seems that Liferuiner have realised that they needed to trim the fat, so they have brought forth an EP with genuinely emotional lyrics and quite a bit of melody. While Kids Wanna Rock is just a generic, chugging hardcore song, it does get better. The title track, S.O.S.E is rather brilliant, with its heartfelt lyrics and nice melody that helps the song to stick in your head,something that many modern hardcore bands seem to struggle with. Up next is a cover of The Beatles’ Revolution, which somehow makes an okay hardcore song. They have made the song their own, but in doing this, the cover doesn't really stand out at all. The final song is 1990, which is probably the most experimental song in Liferuiner’s catalogue. Opening again with more chugging and melody, the song totally switches around at 3.25 to a rather lovely, slow and soft section which gets gradually heavier until the instruments stop, leaving just the vocals to end the song. A good way to end a good EP.
While this EP is nothing groundbreaking, groundbreaking is not what Liferuiner set out to do. They have already upped their game in every single way, from more mature lyrics to a lot more melody into their music that has made for a relatively catchy and very fun listen. The chugging is still there, and it always will be, but it is utilised in a more tasteful manner and complements the actual songs better than before, however, a little less repetitiveness next time would be very welcome. With this EP, Liferuiner sound totally and utterly revitalised. It is an unexpected comeback that should be welcomed with open arms by any hardcore listener.Now, let's see where they go from here with a new full length due out in 2013.
Highlights: S.O.S.E, 1990
