CLASSICK OF THE MONTH - MAY 2018: RIGHT DIRECTION - "BURY THE HATCHET"

CLASSICK OF THE MONTH - MAY 2018:

RIGHT DIRECTION - "BURY THE HATCHET" (2000)
(Running time: 31:47 minutes; 11 songs)
("I Scream Records"; CD):

Tracklist:
(01.) "SONG OF FRUSTRATION"
(02.) "STEP BACK"
(03.) "HE'S MY FRIEND"
(04.) "A PLACE LIKE THIS"
(05.) "TWIST MY WORDS AROUND"
(06.) "FIGHT VIOLENCE WITH VIOLENCE"
(07.) "OUT IN THE FIELDS" (GARY MOORE - cover)
(08.) "ELECTRIC GUN"
(09.) "THE BAR THAT ONCE WAS MINE"
(10.) "HEROES NEVER DIE"
(11.) "EYE IN THE SKY"

(Note: The first paragraph of this article gives you just some 'general informations' on/about what's currently going on in my real life and why it was for nearly one-and-a-half-month so damn 'silent' up here and also tries to give you a little outlook into the near future up here, so, yes, if you're not interested in it, no problem, just skip it and scroll down to the second paragraph of this very article.)

Hey guys, yes, trust your eyes, I'm still alive, still not dead yet. But... oh damn it, real life currently eats my time away - and this sort of in a 'drastic way'. If you should know me personally or if you are a reader right from the start of this little blog back then in 2010 (damn it, really eight years already… I grow old, goddamn it) then you maybe know (or probably should know) that in real life I make my living being a teacher and despise all the bullshit-clichées this is anyhow a pretty time consuming job but that's not that what I mean right now, nah, I'm working towards becoming a principal one day (and hopefully and if it all now works out the right way better sooner than later) and this all takes quite a bit of time and effort that needs to be invested (like you may can imagine) and so this all combined with the  fact that it wasn't that easy for me to keep up my normal and real social life over the last weeks due to my 'working-towards-becoming-a-principal-one-soon-day' plan it gets maybe clearer why I and with me also this very blog here was sort of like in stand-by modus since the beginning of last month. I don't know if already this month this 'mess up here' will get better again but at least I hope to bring up a handful of posts still this month. A lot is overdue (to be honest already again by far too much is now already by far to long, long overdue), this starts with record-reviews on current (and also past) records as well as this "CLASSICK OF THE MONTH" post in its "MAY 2018" edition (that you now obviously get first) and ending by the two now already since a few months announced bigger posts up here and so on and so on. For this month I aim at bringing, like already mentioned shortly before/above, at least still sort of a handful of posts up here and beside this very one right now right here this means at least still the two bigger posts and at least two new record-reviews on current albums as well. But, yes, please keep in mind that this all up here is absoluetly nothing else and nothing more than  simply a through-and-through hobby, a passionate one, for sure, but still just a hobby; and so at the end of the day the priorities should be clear to anyone who's older than three times six and calls a real life his/her own. Anyhow: From the end of June 2018 and especially July 2018 on then I have summer vacation(s) for six weeks and even I will hopefully be up and away a lot and also be pretty active in this time (if all goes good and stays fine…) I still have to do a lot for my Job but I'm pretty sure that finally then again more new stuff will come up here, also more frequently and then hopefully again on a more regular basis. Just let us wait and see. But just that you know about what's-up currently in camp MANSLAUGHTER. And now, yes, finally (by far) enough of the introducing smalltalk filled with 'general informations' to the max and so now finally into the action and why you probably came here in the first place; and if you've made it so far through my egotrippin' rambling you're a champ and so now finally all breaks off and here we go…!!!

Originally this was meant to be and still is the newest (even it's already very long overdue now) "CLASSICK OF THE MONTH" post in its very own "MAY 2018" edition and this time it will be and is all about the almighty RIGHT DIRECTION and their masterpiece "BURY THE HATCHET" released via the legendary "I SCREAM RECORDS" label back then eighteen years ago in 2000 and this to for all what I know so far only on CD. And all of you who are also now already a bit longer around now maybe can draw (already) some lines between the two last "CLASSICK OF THE MONTH" posts that payed tribute to HARD RESISTANCE (and their "ENGINE OF HATE" masterpiece) and DEVIATE (and their "STATE OF GRACE" gift of the gods) because (at least to me and damn sure not only for me) this bands are linked (closely) together, yes, all of them being at the frontlines of what was back then one day labeled Euro Core. Hard and heavy and crushing and yet still sort of catchy Hardcore raised on a heavy New York Hardcore diet enriched with far more flavoures of Metallic Hardcore, Metal, Holy Terror Hardcore, Hardcore Punk, Punkrock, Streetpunk, Oi!, and more, yes, and all delivered by fantastic acts like the already mentioned HARD RESISTANCE and DEVIATE as well as (early) DISCIPLINE, BACKFIRE!, BRIGHTSIDE, RYKER'S, ONLY ATTITUDE COUNTS, the almighty SPIDER CREW, and BUST THE CHAIN, to name just a few, and all this bands added their own identity to it all and this with their very special own flavour. What has this all now to do with RIGHT DIRECTION? They were one of the greatest back then and their fourth full-length-album "BURY THE HATCHET" from 2000 was and still is and for sure will always remain to be nothing but a total masterpiece, hell yeahr, and they also added their very own flavour to it all and this was especially on "BURY THE HATCHET" a strong and very hymnal/anthemic and catchy, melodic Streetpunk/Oi! taste of highest quality and 'deliciousness' while remaining a heavy hitting Hardcore band all the time. Here and there also still some few metallic influences are to be noticed, hm, maybe mostly in the guitar department.

RIGHT DIRECTION started already back then in 1989 (yes, nearly already thirty years ago now) and they hailed out of the the city of Maastricht also known as M-Town in the Netherlands like also, just as a side-fact, the almighty Oi! Silverbacks of CLOSE COMBAT but that's sort of a different story (you know, different band, different story) and they called it a day ten years ago in 2008. For all what I know they are back today (also with four original members) but have so far no plans of releasing any new material. Their first album "HOW MANY MORE LIES" they've released in 1993, followed by "ALL OF A SUDDEN" in 1995. Both albums I didn't know back then and changed this then over the following years after I finally got to know RIGHT DIRECTION. My first contact with RIGHT DIRECTION was in 1998 when I was 17 years young with their phenomenal thrid full-length-album "TO RIGHT THE WRONG" and they took me by storm - just to overwhelm me even more only two years later in 2000 with their larger-than-life masterpiece "BURY THE HATCHET". In 2002 then they released their killer album "BEYOND THE BEYONDS" and this was and is so far their final output to this date. A bunch of vinyl sngles ("THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES"/1991, "NO REASON TO LAUGH"/1991, BEOWÜLF & RIGHT DIRECTION split/1994, WARZONE & RIGHT DIRECTION live split/1995, and "ALL THESE YEARS"/1996) and also the retrospection-compilation "ECHOES FROM THE PAST" (1996) they've released also over the 1990's. And then after six years of no new album since 2002 in 2008 they called it finally a day. And right now, right here we're here, yes, paying tribute to them, RIGHT DIRECTION, and their fantastic "BURY THE HATCHET" longplayer.

RIGHT DIRECTION toured over their existence with several great ones like WARZONE, MADBALL, SICK OF IT ALL, and SLAPSHOT as well as BEOWÜLF, YUPPICIDE, EXCEL, and BITTER. They also appealed to the Metal crowd like tours with for example GOREFEST showcase(d) to the world. Their original Drummer Richard Bruinen seperated ways with them in 1992 to join BACKFIRE! in the following years. (BACKFIRE!, also one of the greatest, hell yeahr, and they will be featured up here as well for sure some day in the future.) And you can be sure that bands like WARZONE and SICK OF IT ALL as well MADBALL and SLAPSHOT had their influence on RIGHT DIRECTION as well as AGNOSTIC FRONT and for sure definitely AWKWARD THOUGHT in heavy doses, too. But they, and of course I mean RIGHT DIRECTION, owned their very own spirit and also their very special flavour and on "BURY THE HATCHET" this culminated in heavy and fresh Streetpunk/Oi! vibes that also fantastic bands like the great TECH 9 or even the immortal and larger-than-life DISCIPLINE didn't do any better back then. A special guitar tone, highly charismatic lead vocals, huge dynamics, strong emotions, and also a very own melodic/melody work really added massive amounts of a unique identity and character to it all, yes, and this for all the right reasons.

With or to this band, RIGHT DIRECTION, and especially this particular album, "BURY THE HATCHET", I have very special and just great memories very closely linked. Great times, great friends, great concerts, great parties, yes, all this and even far, far more. RIGHT DIRECTION's "BURY THE HATCHET" for damn sure is another album that holds and owns a very special place in my heart. I mean, of course it is exactly this, yes, because otherwise it would not appear here and now despise the anyhow over-all premium quality of it all. But also beside this, hell yeahr, it absolutely and totally shines with outstanding and overwhelming quality and this still today after or with now being already 18 years old. Highly charismatic lead vocals, sing-a-long chants, smashing and incredible forceful yet damn melodic guitars, thunderous drumming, and a crispy bass work made'n'make the musick and formidable and still damn fresh and very varied and intense songwriting, tons of energy and dynamics, and all never shyed away from big and honest heartfelt emotions wrapped in tight atmosphere cultivated'n'cultivates it all, with a very unique character gave'n'gives it all finally the bright shining crown. One hell of a legendary and larger than life masterpiece of an album that anyone who really should not know it so far really needs to call his/her own and so I can't praise it anyhow anyway enough.

My personal favorites here on RIGHT DIRECTION's "BURY THE HATCHET"? God-damn it, that's a hard one. Yes... a really hard one. And I mean a really, really hard one. You really ask why? Okay... simply because every damn song is purest platinum up here on this most precious gem. But, hm, okay, let's go, yes, I'm trying my best to give you or better pick for you my personal favorites… Sort of my absolute faavorites up here. I massively love the damn catchy and Streetpunk fueled "ELECTRIC GUN", the highly atmospheric and intense "HEROES NEVER DIE", the Saxophone fueled fantastic anthem "HE'S MY FRIEND" (sounds more and better like DOG EAT DOG than all what they've done after or since "PLAY GAMES" and it offers strong SKA vibes, too), the harsh hitting anti-racist tune "STEP BACK", the in all honesty damn great GARY MOORE cover "OUT IN THE FIELDS", the by crushing Oi! influenced angry Hardcore slasher "THE BAR THAT ONCE WAS MINE", the every resistance slaying harsh Hardcore wrecking ball "SONG OF FRUSTRATION", the Hardcore-ish raging Dutch Oi! beast "TWIST MY WORDS AROUND", and the purest platinum Streetpunk/Oi! monster "FIGHT VIOLENCE WITH VIOLENCE". Yes, nothing but the best of the best - back then and still today and probably this will never change. And don't make the mistake to think that the (anyhow only very, very few) not mentioned songs would be weak or what the hell else ever because hell no, they are also nothing but purest gold. So, yes, that's it, I think I've said so far all what I had to say right now and right here and I will now close this tribute post with saying clearly that I can only recommend RIGHT DIRECTION's "BURY THE HATCHET" to you and you should definitely know (and have) it to close a big portion of blank space in your Hardcore history and collection and it's damn good that RIGHT DIRECTION are back even if they 'only' play live. I love this stuff!!! Welcome back, guys. HEROES NEVER DIE!!!

HARDCORE!!! FIST!!!

RIGHT DIRECTION - "BURY THE HATCHET" (2000) ///the complete album\\\