"A GUN SAYS WHAT IT MEANS, AND I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR BELIEFS, IT'S MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY 'CAUSE I'M SICK OF FUCKING TALK, SHUT UP AND WALK THE WALK! I WON'T SCRATCH YOUR FUCKIN' BACK, THERE'S NO MIDDLE GROUND AND I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THE FACTS! - POLITICS ARE FUCKIN' DEAD!"

EMPIRE FALLS - "INFAMOUS"
("Final Stand Records"; CD):

"Time will tell"... and in  this case time tells quick (or told quick...), because here it now comes, the review of the "INFAMOUS" titled full length release of EMPIRE FALLS. About the new (?) political allies of Bryan Scorch and EMPIRE FALLS (as well as of BETTER DEAD THAN RED) I've written enough in the review of their "WE LIVE TO BE HATED" abum right before this one here, so read there for that. Okay, I've bought this record together with their "WE LIVE TO BE HATED" album last November and it's, for what I know, still today their last proper ful length album release. Don't know if the label is again just a renamed label of the band itself, from "PROPHECY RECORDS" over "RAC RECORDS" to "FINAL STAND RECORDS"?!? Why not... Okay, after the dissapointment that "WE LIVE TO BE HATED", the direct precursor album of this one here, turned out to be for me I wasn't that much expecting from this one here... and what a mistake this was!!! "INFAMOUS" sees EMPIRE FALLS going finally (musically) back to their roots, great hard hitting and fast paced as well as with fat and lively grooves and fuckin' great old school Mosh parts and Beatdowns enriched Hardcore, no boring R.A.C. old man's fart stuff, no retarded White Thrash Redneck Rock & Roll, or other annoying and boring bullshit like this, no, just great angry, bitter, hatefilled and brutal stomping and even more brutal punishing Hardcore with some cool Old School roots, some few classical Straight Edge Hardcore notes and some great NYHC elements in it, hell yeahr, great!!! Hard and heavy and brutal guitar work, also great leads and damn good grooves as well as also some really suprising guitar playing sequenzes (just listen to the crazy lead of "PARASITES"), a more varying style of singing of Bryan (not this dull hollering like on the precursor release, for example), with a lot of balls and charisma in it, a very hard played bass and mercyless hammering drumming, all backed up by some cool loud and fat crew shouts and here and there also with some nice movie samples cultivated, and all melted together by some really truly good (but not outstanding) songwriting (so expect nothing overly exciting new, but damn good done 'classic(k)' stuff, hm, and at the end of the day that's maybe sometimes anyhow better than the most of this all oh so 'new' bullshit crap). Really damn good stuff!!! If it would just bring some little "X-Factor" to the table it would even be better (something more like they give us with "PARASITES", for example), but even so you should give it a fair try or even better get it at first sight, point and fact!!! Best songs, if ya ask me, are the fast paced (like a lot of the songs here on "INFMAMOUS") and bitter opening track "UNIVERSALLY DESPISED" and his neurotic-aggressiv "Taxi Driver" follow up track "VIGILANTE", the angry and noisy stomper "POLITICS ARE DEAD", the almighty headcrackers "ONE NATION UNDER HATE" and "THE BABY BOOMERS KILLED THE AMERICAN DREAM", the sick and  crazy and psychotic "PARSITES", the stoic beating and milling bulldozer Hardcore marching anthem "THOUGHT POLICE", and the pretty catchy title track "INFAMOUS", all great tracks, for sure. And if you're also into (New York) Hardcore from WARZONE over AGNOSTIC FRONT to MADBALL and even 25 TA LIFE, hell yeahr, then this one here is nearly something like your damn fuckin duty, even it's missing a little bit "fresh wind" which means this "X-Factor" which lifts a really damn good album over the steps to become an even better, a very good and great album, if not even something more. Okay, a blasting production sound and a really great and 'stylish' artwork we do get on top of it, and the typical EMPIRE FALLS lyrics (but this time also way better than on "WE LIVE TO BE HATED"). That's all what there is to say to this one here, to the political views of EMPIRE FALLS (and my views on it) I've written enough already before so I will spare me every word more about it, and you need to decide for yourself (but that's something you should do anyhow in every case thinkable) if you want to give this guys and their comrades your hard earned money anyhow, but anyway, here you get my honest recommendation when it comes to EMPIRE FALLS' "INFAMOUS" full length album, so better get it anyhow asap!!! (8 of 10 points)

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/empirefallsinfamous)

"ONE NATION UNDER HATE I THINK THAT'S GREAT!!! WE LIVE TO BE HATED!!!"

EMPIRE FALLS - "WE LIVE TO BE HATED" ("Defiant Records"; CD):
(Note: This album was back then also released on vinyl as a 12'' LP via the german label "Dim Records".)

Okay, and again a review of a record that's not really that 'new' anymore. Released back then in 2006 through the own label of EMPIRE FALLS (at least I think so that "DEFIANT RECORDS" is/was/had been the same label like "PROPHECY RECORDS" and how it all was named anyhow in the future) and the guys of "DIM RECORDS" done also a vinyl 12'' LP release of it back then. It was a record that I somhow always wanted to have since it was released, hm, but somehow I always missed it until November 2010, since then I finally call it my own. Anyhow, hm, I don't know it all precisely what there is to know about the discography (and history) of EMPIRE FALLS, hm, but I think this is one (and the older one) of the currently last two (full length album) releases of EMPIRE FALLS. On the great "THE U.S. OF Oi! OF SWEDEN" blog (http://usofoiofsweden.blogspot.com/) you can find (for what I know and how it seems) a pretty complete discography of them posted (with downlaods and stuff like this). Okay, anyhow, back to the topic. EMPIRE FALLS, pretty much something like the same band as BETTER DEAD THAN RED (are also featured here on this very blog). I know EMPIRE FALLS(as a band) now for years and, to be honest, I always liked their early days as a damn good and hard hitting and hatefilled Hardcore band more than their newer days, pretty much they sound equal like BETTER DEAD THAN RED, ah, and one word: I usually don't give a damn about the talking about and defaming of persons that I don't know personally, but if the rumours are true that seem to become louder and louder this days that at least Bryan Scorch, the head of EMPIRE FALLS and BETTER DEAD THAN RED, is today heavily into NS and Hitlerism, into supporting B&H and C18 and this whole militant 14/88 WP/NS WPWW White Supremacy movement (with showcasing ISD tribute/memorial shirts the thought that all this rumours are or at lest could be damn true isn't so unbelievable) than beside the review of EMPIRE FALLS (for what I know newest) follow up record to this album here, called "INFAMOUS", will be pretty much nothing else or new will come when it comes to EMPIRE FALLS and BETTER DEAD THAN RED. Some borders aren't to be crossed, and bullshit subhuman lowlife thrash like B&H and C18 is one of this borders. So, okay, back and finally onwards to this record and its review. EMPIRE FALLS changed their style pretty much overall the long, long years of their existence, going from harsh and brutal, forceful 'old schoolish' Hardcore more and more into the Streetpunk and Oi! and then especially R.A.C. direction and latest with their "THE UNDERDOGS" album from 2003 you can say they were nothing else than a band like this from this time on. And this record here, "WE LIVE TO BE HATED", displays this very good. It's some hard and mostly in punishing mid pace delivered Streetrock between R.A.C., Oi! and Streetpunk (of the American Way of sound and style of it) and also a huge dose of White Thrash Redneck 'Punk'-Rock & Roll stuff (ANTISEEN and beyond), all dominated by dirty and pretty brutal, sometimes mad-trashing and mercyless groovin' heavy guitar work, the pretty violent and powerful and full vocals, and it's all backed up by the beefy and bulky work of the bass and the drums, sometimes some back ups that know to convince are also there. It's all good and fine, and if ya like BETTER DEAD THAN RED and always wanted them to be harder and more direct in the face, and if ya like especially "MARX WAS WRONG" from BETTER DEAD THAN RED then you will also like this one here. Yes, it's a solid release, but the problem with it is that it sounds all 'too well-known', I mean, even when you listen to it the first time you can't beat the feeling that you know it already now for years, nothing fresh, nothing exciting, nothing really grapping, they know to play and all this stuff, and so that's makin' it at the end of the day still a solid release, nah, but damn it nothing more. The only song that reaches a higher level is the fast and angry, bitter and pissed off "CHOOSE YOUR SIDE" with finally a strong Hardcore note to it again and some pretty nice and sick sounding lead, a great track, point and fact!!! Beside this song it's all basically some mix out of R.A.C. (like it was born and bred back then in England) and some (Street-) Punk and Oi! elements to it all done pretty guitar dominated with some pretty damn huge typical american White Thrash Redneck & Roll edge to it. Lyrically it's sometimes maybe a little bit controversial and right wing (yes, it is), hm, but basically we do get nothing else than songs about violence and about being an underdog, as well as songs against the scene (and the own fans... WTF?!?) and the music industry and society in general, hm, yehp, and more or less that's it all waht there is to say about the lyrics of EMPIRE FALLS (on this one here), ah, maybe just also that they also don't have the smartest lyrics around anyhow. Dirty and nice production sound, a pretty cool artwork, yes, that's all what there is to say about EMPIRE FALLS and "WE LIVE TO BE HATED". Maybe there will also come a review of their "INFAMOUS" album from 2007, I'm not so sure about it at all, time will tell. Okay, decide now what you're about to do with it, anyhow necessary it's definitely not, just some solid stuff. Don't know why the hell I was wanting this one here to have and call it my own for so many years now... Solid to midfield stuff, nothing else. (6 of 10 points)

(Contact: http://www.myspace.com/empirefallslivetobehated)

(One last word to their MySpace site, today it displays a flyer of the "BLOOD & HONOUR UNITY MEETING 2010" where EMPIRE FALLS will play, as well as BETTER DEAD THAN RED, beside acts like xTOTAL WARx, MAX RESIST and WHITE KNUCKLE DRIVER, yes, so I think we don't need to discuss anything about EMPIRE FALLS and BETTER DEAD THAN RED anymore about being or having become nothing else than a bunch of lowlife subhuman NS WP 14/88 faggots and nothing else. Okay, maye it'S also just about the money, because that you can make some pretty impressive and good bucks especially in the American NS/WP Hate Rock shouldn't be a secret at all to anyone anymore, latest since "RESISTANCE RECORDS" and "PANZERFAUST RECORDS". But anyhow, no matter if politics or just 'mone-making-greed', that's not making any difference or anything better. Ah, and musically, like I've written above, they don't bring that much to the table at all that could ya make maybe look over it for a while, hm, so okay, I think ya know what I want to say with this words...)