SICK OF IT ALL - "WAKE THE SLEEPING DRAGON" (2018)

SICK OF IT ALL - "WAKE THE SLEEPING DRAGON"
(Running time: 33:04 minutes; 17 songs)
("Century Media Records"; 2018; CD):

Hell yeahr, trust your eyes because here's now alreaday the next round fired at you and this time in the here'n'now it will be and it is all about the brandnew SICK OF IT ALL longplayer titled "WAKE THE SLEEPING DRAGON" released still sort of very recently at the 2nd of November of 2018 via the veterans of and at "CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS". If you know and read this blog now for already a bit longer or if you would (or in fact do) know me personally then you would or should know that SICK OF IT ALL are one of my top five bands ever and personally to/for me one of the very most important bands of all time ever and so the passed sort of four years or so that passed us by leading up to "WAKE THE SLEEPING DRAGON" had been sort of pretty long years - but pretty long years that are now finally over. And so, yes, I was truly incredible curious when SICK OF IT ALL's "WAKE THE SLEEPING DRAGON" finally hit the shelves and dropped and thanks to preordering I received it right at the day it was finally released. And, yes, I know… don't ask me why it again took me nearly two months to finally get this review done and out to/for you… anyhow anyway, I guess… So, yes, it's 2018 and SICK OF IT ALL are finally back with "WAKE THE SLEEPING DRAGON" (and they are back with a bang) and so without any more introducing ramblings now finally let's go: 17 songs in roughly 33 minutes running time, yes, and so one thing should be clear and this is that right from the get-go we will be or better are in for a fiery, wild, and furious ride here with SICK OF IT ALL's "WAKE THE SLEEPING DRAGON". And so, oh hell yeahr, expect some amazing and outstanding New York Hardcore of the most supreme and unique kind done and delivered by this finest and almighty NYHC silverbacks that's just still after sort of 32 years of being around still is so incredible fresh and so unbelievable alive'n'lively that any new'n'young band outta there should shy away when confronted with this already immortal masterpiece, yes, and especially when we talk about Hardcore in 2018 things have changed a bit in my book which means that as fantastic as SLAPSHOT's "MAKE AMERICA HATE AGAIN" and WISDOM IN CHAINS' "NOTHING IN NATURE RESPECTS WEAKNESS" definitely are from sort of now on both bands and albums share the 2nd spot with SICK OF IT ALL's "WAKE THE SLEEPING DRAGON" turning into my Hardcore album of, in, and for 2018. Here we get the absolutely real deal in form of amazing and fantastic highly energetic and highly dynamic as well as also damn diverse and multi-facetted/multi-layered songwriting that's offering a good healthy bunch of twists'n'turns and some fresh new notes'n'tones here and there and serving some good doses of cool surprising moves and parts, a damn huge and very fresh arranged and done sing a long hymnal potential, and adding several culminating moods all together (in)to nothing but and nothing less than absolutely amazing, exciting, grapping, rousing, conquering and just sheer amazing larger than life anthems of that totally unique own special SICK OF IT ALL tone and that's one more time so incredible strong present and marking here on and with "WAKE THE SLEEPING DRAGON" and (at least so my perception) above all it's incredible fresh and diverse on here and this (even) more than the last times SICK OF IT ALL were around before. The ingredients out of raging (New York) Hardcore, some Metallic Hardcore notes, and a big bunch of Punkrock, Streetpunk and Oi! with added huge doses of hymnal melody lines and sing a longs in(to) it all, yes, this ingredients are all here and stayed the same (and why shouldn't they) but are done and arranged, composed, and structured damn fresh and sort of in a 'new' way and are unbelievable grapping, exciting, rousing, and energizing and this all will make sure that SICK OF IT ALL's "WAKE THE SLEEPING DRAGON" will massively conquer you with supreme overwhelming force and will push you on and through everything and this also for hell a lot of some time for sure. Yes, this is Hardcore!!! All is served to us via one of if not the most charismatic and unique lead singing voice(s) especially in Hardcore outta there with Lou Koller delivering his absolutely almighty vokillz like only he can do it; via everything down smashing guitar-work delivered by Pete Koller shining with full force riffing and devastating rhythm work and adding great cool into the crushing riffing integrated great melody lines to it all and keeping it exciting with a huge bunch of great smooth flowing changes in the rhythmic arrangements and the pace structures of the songs and adding a lot of dynamic(s) to it all with doing so; via a loud'n'proud roaring and strutting and nicely present bass playing delivered by Craig "Ahead" Setari; and via powerful full force punching and smashing and not only incredible heavy but also damn smooth delivered crushing drumming by Armand Majidi; and a bunch of very strong guest singers join in as well as a damn huge sing a long fueled hymnal character is added to it all. This all makes an album that's from start to finish nothing but an all killers and no fillers album and so to name here any listening tipps maybe isn't making that much sense after all at the end of the day but if you really want or deman some then I would say my personal favorites so far or right now are probably "INNER VISION", "THAT CRAZY WHITE BOY SHIT", "BULL'S ANTHEM", "ROBERT MOSES WAS A RACIST", "SELF IMPORTANT SHITHEAD", "TO THE WOLVES", "ALWAYS WITH US", "WAKE THE SLEEPING DRAGON", "BEEF BETWEEN VEGANS", "HARDCORE HORSESHOE", "DEEP STATE", "WORK THE SYSTEM", and "THE NEW SLAVERY" and so maybe or why not start your discovery of SICK OF IT ALL's "WAKE THE SLEEPING DRAGON" with this ultra-platinum gems. Top notch diverse and very outspoken and also highly socially aware and political lyrics, a pure beauty of an artwork, and a clear and heavy and nicely warm'n'earthy production sound then finally round it all perfectly up. Okay, yes, I think so far I've said all what there was or what I had so far to say to/about SICK OF IT ALL and their brandnew "WAKE THE SLEEPING DRAGON" masterpiece, the Hardcore album of and for 2018 (and probably also in and for years to come) and definitely also one of the very best and very most strongest albums in general of, in, and for 2018 (and again also probably in and for years to come), yes, and I can only most highly recommend this larger than life masterpiece to anyone outta there and so best just go out and get your copy of SICK OF IT ALL's "WAKE THE SLEEPING DRAGON" and this best instantly. Hardcore!!! Fist!!!
(10 of 10 points)
https://www.sickofitall.com/ (-the link to the homepage of the band)

SICK OF IT ALL - "THAT CRAZY WHITE BOY SHIT" (2018, "WAKE THE SLEEPING DRAGON")