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Betrayed

Substance

Written by: PP on 28/09/2006 15:35:29

Equal Vision's bands tend to always be slightly above average in originality and creativity, and to some extent Betrayed is no exception with their accurately titled debut album "Substance". The music presented here is namely substance-filled breakneck pace hardcore with traditional gang shouts seizing a big role in the conventional song structures.

The opening track "Think Twice" kicks you in the face with its all-perishing kill-all speed and aggressive vocal delivery, and is easily the best track on the album. It is also the one that offers most originality through its unpredictable rhythm variations and vocal experimentation, especially during the chorus. But after that, Betrayed falls under the trap of just repeating cliches of their previous bands (Champion, Terror, Carry On) without really bringing anything new into the mix. The songs are monotoneus, fast paced and contain little variation from the hundreds of other bands sounding precisely like them. What's even more worrying about this is that they never surpass the average mark, their songs are merely 'okay', with the exception of a couple of highlight tracks with "A Light In The Dark" at the forefront, where the band actually tries something new and different to their otherwise oversaturated sound.

Back in the early to mid-90s a band like Betrayed would unquestionably have influenced most hardcore bands today much like their producer Kurt Ballou's band Converge evidently did. The promise is there, though, in songs like the aforementioned "Think Twice" or "Understand", and their sophomore album should have offered much more than this lackluster debut, only if it had come to be. Betrayed disbanded on August 27th 2006, barely over a month after the release of their debut, perhaps as a direct consequcence to the unpopularity of the album. Stick to Terror and Champion.

Download: Think Twice, Understand
For the fans of: Terror, Give Up The Ghost, American Nightmare, Champion
Listen: Myspace

Release date 17.07.2006
Equal Vision
Provided by Target ApS