DEAD MAN'S CHEST - "HATELINE" (Hatefilled brutal HARDCORE on "SEVENTH DAGGER RECORDS" in 2011)



 DEAD MAN'S CHEST - "HATELINE"
("Seventh Dagger Records"; CD):

Whoa, I first thought: "Okay, now back to your usual ordinary daily topic of Beatdown Hardcore and/or Metalcore with a strong Tough Guy mentality to crown it all." But okay, we all know that sometimes (or often?) the stereotypes that we allow to take control of our thoughts and so with them somehow also of our (-) selves do lead us in the wrong direction and are giving us a wrong anticipated perception of things to come. But then there are other experiences we make where we see that all lives up to the fullfillment of exactly this stereotypes and the direction they lead us into is the total right and correct one. So, yehp, that said, what's it all about here in the case of the band DEAD MAN'S CHEST (a U.K. Hardcore act with some polish roots, hm, and I think that they are also a xStraight Edgex Hardcore band, hm, but that should be for no one a suprise by a look at the label, righty right) and their 2011 album "HATELINE"? A uncomfortable mixture out of both so far her aboved described "stereotypes-and-times" affairs. Looking at the label, the band name, the title of the album, the aestehtics of this band and album and (at least some) song titles like "EARN YOUR RESPECT" and especially "COLD CUNTS" you should pretty fast know the deal... and that deal is metallic and rich on Beatdowns styled up to date Tough Guy Mosh Hardcore for da crew. Bulldozer guitar work, especially the riff walls are immense and very massive, the beefy and bulky and damn precise and brutal rhythm section is cracking skulls like otherwise only Conan the Barbarian with his Battleaxe (okay, I know that this metaphor I maybe should have used better in a review of a Metal record, but okay, what-ever), and the hard and aggrssive, yet fat and brutal shouting lead vocals in cooperation with some (but not so wisely chosen) guest singers and loud and full crew back up chants really melt it all together. It's all there what you expect (and maybe want) from a up to date Hardcore release like this. The songs are also pretty complete structured from out of the perception of that genre with groovy raging Mosh parts, über-heavy down paced Beatdowns, some few furious Old School Hardcore parts, Tharsh Metal and also Death Metal influenced up tempo raging madness parts, a lot of metallic inspirations when it's about the guitar as well as the rhythm work in general, and all is pretty much Tough Guy Violent Dancing compatible. It's all coming with a lot of pressure behind it, with a lot of power and force, and that these guys really know how to play theirm instruments I think I don't have to say here anyhow. No, that's all not the problem here with it. The problem is that this album starts really strong and promising with the great track "THESE BRIDGES LEFT BURNING" as the opener and also "THE ICONS", the second track, is pure force and then comes with "SUMMON THE STRENGTH" one of the by far best tracks on this album, just great and the atmosphere that DEAD MAN'S CHEST know to create here is really and truly awesome, enriching the song with some few Black Metal impressions in the guitar playing syle, all good and fine and maybe more than this up to this point. But then... yes, then it starts to go all more and more into the direction of my above mentioned first thought, it becomes ordinary and the usual stuff we all are already so damn pretty much used to these days. The fresh ideas are missing, they're lacking a strong own identity which would make them really cognisable in the big bunch of other metallic Beatdown styled Tough Guy Mosh Hardcore bands for the crew out there of today. It's all solid and some surely good stuff and if you feel the need to really have it all what is coming out of this specific genre of Hardcore then get it because you can find far more bad stuff, surely, that's it. Protruding from out of the rest of the bunch of the songs on this album do just the boomer "DEAD MAN'S CHEST" and the pretty strong by Death Metal influenced "DOOMBRINGER", both are great songs, while the rest just stays okay, solid to good midfild stuff. DEAD MAN'S CHEST try to come in somewhere in between TERROR, HATEBREED and xTYRANTx but without coming only close to one of these titans of today's Hardcore world and scene. Lyrically we get some good but also pretty much expected stuff, the artwork got a decent and a cool (even it's a total typical clichè) look, and the ultra-fat production sound is really what we usually do or at least can call a wall of sound like we all know it from releases of this kind out of this genre. So, okay, hopefully you all do know now what we get from DEAD MAN'S CHEST and what's the problem about it. Btw, I don't know where I should seek for the "HOLY TERROR HARDCORE" impressions and INTEGRITY and IN COLD BLOOD notes and marks and influences here in it that were announced to be found here... so don't expect anything like this... So, okay, if you like this certain style of Hardcore music then check it out, risk an ear or two, even this is nothing anyhow 'special' it's also nothing somehow really bad and you will find far more worse stuff out there and so maybe you'll find what you've still been looking for here with this one. Maybe... (6 of 10 points)
(http://www.myspace.com/thedeadmanschesthc)