North Side Kings

Suburban Royalty

Written by: CR on 18/12/2008 15:40:19

Starting out your newest album with a song called "Giving Emo Kids Something To Really Cry About" is a sure way to make people pay just a little more attention to you. And attention seems to be the keyword when talking about "Suburban Royalty" by North Side Kings. There is no way anybody can doubt the fact that all of the songs on this release are meant to be played for a (moshing) live audience. The album is more or less one big advertisement for their live show. So should you be going? Read ahead to find out.

Starting out with lots of bass drum, a nice catchy riff, and the whole band repetitively shouting "North Side Kings", there is no doubt that this song really is a show opener. It's extremely unoriginal but it's a recipe that has been proven and perfected for ages and if it works it really doesn't need fixing. From here on it's just under 40 minutes of almost nonstop anvil heavy, testosterone pumped hardcore. The production is spotless and the entire band is right on the spot. It's a sure bet that you'll get a speeding ticket if you'll drive while listening to "Suburban Royalty". Unfortunately the album lacks musical depth, and variation is almost nonexistent. If you're a die hard hardcore fan, you'll enjoy this, but for the average head banger it might just be a bit too repetitive. Luckily the album also comes with a cover of both Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation" and "Among The Living" by Anthrax, which both offer a much needed shift in musical style. Unfortunately, both songs arrive rather late on the album as number 12 and 15 respectively, at which point a lot of people would already have had enough and ejected the CD. It would've made a big difference if these had been placed earlier on the album.

The style is hardcore and North Side Kings makes sure you don't forget that. Every song on the album has all the classic traits of hardcore, mixing in bits of thrash and, on one or two occasions, also a bit of rap-core. The mix generally works well and most of the songs have a nice hook and are moshable. But does that make it a good album? Not really, it's a bit above average but nothing really worth your precious time or money. Does it sound like a show worth going to? Without a doubt and you can be absolutely certain that I will be first in line for tickets if NSK ever makes their way to a venue near me.

6

Download: When Push Comes to Shove, Giving Emo Kids Something to Really Cry About
For The Fans Of: Hoods, Skare Tactic, Madball
Listen: Myspace

Release date 12.09.2008
I Scream Records

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