Break The Silence
Near Life Experience (Hopeless)
By Scott Hefflon
When you make the connection that Hopeless is responsible for introducing the world to Thrice, Avenged Sevenfold, and released Chicago’s 88 Fingers Louie’s brand of melodic hardcore in the mid-to-late-’90s (including 88 Fingers Up Your Ass with its classic homage to Metallica’s Metal Up Your Ass tee, the original title of Kill ‘Em All), Break the Silence makes sense. The slogan “East Coast hardcore collides with West Coast melody” pretty much nails it. Bad Religion would be the easiest harmony to reference, but Good Riddance is a bit more accurate (gee, that took me all of two seconds: Man, some critics are lazy!). Now work into the equation the perfect cover of At The Gates’ “Slaughter of the Soul.” You might wanna sit down and think of the possibilities… Smart, tight, rapid-fire punk with layered harmonies that gets real metal? Hell, BTS knows their metal better than shithead nü metal bands still outgrowing hardcore (cuz straightedge is more appealing when yer too young to drink and get laid anyway) and “grooving” on the breakdowns Pantera wrote over a decade ago. But Break the Silence are definitely punk and “melodic hardcore,” a genre tag that’s since fallen outta favor.
Palm-mutes, racing paces, powerful sing-alongs with mandatory layered harmonies, breakdowns, tasty guitar licks and fills (both delicate emo arpeggios and slippery-scale metal), and chord structures that’re total “we can actually play” punk (think NOFX and the Vandals, both guitarists being exceptional and sport shaggy hair, buddy): What’s not to like?
Break the Silence is a new band with ex-members of other good bands (including 88 Fingers Louie), so these guys have the chops and know the game. They’ve wooed labels and fans alike at South by Southwest and the Warped Tour already, and they finally have a full-length with a cover the art-school kids’ll like. You should get this immediately and realize how much it kicks the ass of nearly 100% of the overrated bands the popular kids at school like.
(PO Box 7495 Van Nuys, CA 91409)
