The Hope Conspiracy

Death Knows Your Name (Deathwish)
by Scott Hefflon

Damn, I’m gonna have to stop lumping The Hope Conspiracy in with all the other dime-a-dozen hardcore bands that come outta Massachusetts. They’re political, could be a metal version of a Jade Tree punk band, and they’re EXCITING, unlike the hundreds of knuckledraggers who started bands just to be in bands (getting together with your friends to play “original” hardcore songs is fun, but why do you charge people to watch?). The Hope Conspiracy have something to say, and they have a style and urgency that all the expensive production can’t disguise most genre bands simply don’t have. Add them to the short list with Most Precious Blood and If Hope Dies and Unearth and Diecast and a few other hardcore bands who are now worth listening to, finally.

Hardcore has always set its sights way too low. Hardcore is “good” to hardcore fans, simply cuz it’s hardcore, and that’s why most people can’t stand hardcore. But gems like this roaring monstrosity combine outrage and craft, style and substance, and all the howling actually leads somewhere, rather than just some kid howling about how, even if his parents weren’t paying the bills, he wouldn’t want to feed the capitalist swine machine which kills the poor so the rich can drive SUVs and golf on the weekends, and all that idealistic shit that goes out the window when you have to work two fast-food jobs to put meatless food on the table (not because of some “yeah, me too!” belief structure, but because ya can’t fuckin’ afford meat).
(www.deathwishinc.com)