Pick of the month:
JESUS FUCKING CHRIST - "Life's Hateful Seed"
WITCH HUNT are 80’s hardcore personified to the nth degree. They are a 12th generation hardcore group that play like many of the mid to late 80’s 3rd and 4th generation punks. About the only thing that sets them apart is the annoying chick singer on half the songs. The guy vocalist is quite bothersome in his own right. If someone erased the vocal tracks and told me this was a TOXIC REASONS session from 1984 I would have to conjecture with little evidence one way or the other. The distorted bass and layered guitars (reminiscent of HUSKER DU and RITES OF SPRING) are a nice touch but come the fuck on. This was recorded in 2006 not 1986! Can these people be serious about this music in this day and age? I know Witch Hunt means well (socially and politically) but man oh man. This shit just sounds tired rather than inspired. I can barely listen to old hardcore anymore and to think people still create (or should I say recreate) this stuff is kind of exasperating.
Fed up with the current state of the world? Well, you're not alone. Philly's WITCH HUNT feels your pain. With lyrics that take aim at volatile, boycott-inducing topics like the war in Iraq, a government run by the religious right, and the deterioration of the environment, you'll be unlikely to find this release at any corporately owned chain-record store any time soon.
Well, Walmart's loss is our gain, because while the lyrics may appeal to all would-be revolutionaries out there, the music itself appeals to the teenaged outsider that resides in us all. This is the musical equivalent of the coming anarchy that the lyrics predict. Raw and in your face, "Blood Red States" is nothing but fast, angry music that will get the listener worked up about somethin'. Even when the band stoops to mid-tempo, the songs still feel like they could fall apart at any time, contributing to the overall feel of the proceedings. Most of the members of the band share the vocal duties, but it's the PMS fueled rage of lead banshees Janine and Nicole that separates WITCH HUNT from the multitudes of screamers working in the rock biz today.
Their isn't much in the way of musical variety on "Blood Red States," but the band's conviction is worth at least a little bit of respect. You'll never see a DIXIE CHICKS style back-down from these cats. They'll be in the trenches forever. Viva la Revolution!
OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/witchhunt
RELATED ITEMS: No related articles at this time.
{Text}