Earth Crisis

Destroy the Machines (Victory)
by Joshua Brown

With any band that forms itself around a particular leaning, you kind of have to take the whole thing with a grain of salt. For myself, whether or not I enjoy the release is not so much affected by my agreement or disagreement with the band’s ideals, but by how strong a case they make for them.

That’s why I think Earth Crisis are cool. As their bio states, “Issues such as veganism, animal rights, the destruction of rainforests, straight edge, promiscuity, societal isolation, and species extinction are represented with such immediacy and frustration that one cannot help but take notice.” Becoming more metallic usually marks the downfall for most straight-edge hardcore bands, but it only deepens the intensity of Earth Crisis. On Destroy the Machines, their third release and first full-length, the youthful angst and guttural screams blend effectively with the Master of Puppets-era Metallica motif sans the guitar solos.