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Wisdom In Chains

Everything You Know

Written by: PP on 25/11/2009 00:57:57

The idiotic robot-voise propaganda "Intro" and the annoying guitar-stomping of opening track "Guilty" aside, Wisdom In Chains have restored some of my faith in the ailing hardcore scene that produces incomprehensibly generic acts like Death Before Dishonor and Trapped Under Ice in a seemingly never-ending stream. Although WIC also borrow lots from old school hardcore (which hardcore band doesn't?), they at least take their influence from the right bands. You can hear a cocktail of Sick Of It All, Madball, Agnostic Front, Minor Threat and The Misfits on "Everything You Know", and boy does it taste good in comparison to the turdballs I mentioned earlier. NO BREAKDOWNS HERE, PEOPLE!!!

The album doesn't really win the listener over before the melodic woo-hoo piece "Chasing The Dragon" (track 4), but from here on, Wisdom In Chains inject just the right amount of melody to their chugging guitars and yelled clean vocals: you'll be humming the melodies and yelling along to the gang shout passages (The Misfits style), but the songs remain hardcore to their bone. Variation hasn't been forgotten: check out the mini solo in the slow tempo "Perfect Day" versus the three chord hardcore punk of "SxE Dad" versus the bouncy riffs on the infectiously catchy "Tragedy" (feat Lou Keller of Sick Of It All), all great examples of the much better song writing talent Wisdom In Chains owns in comparison to their peers.

Interestingly enough, from tracks 8 to 19, the band gets progressively better song by song, going through more Misfits / The Casualties inspired old school sing alongs ("I Go On" touches on Discipline style street punk), integrating New York Hardcore pieces, finally culminating in one of the best hardcore tracks I've heard in recent years, "Start Living". Shame WIC don't have the track up on their Myspace because it'd get them heard on a much larger scale. If you're into crossover, hardcore or punk at all, then Wisdom In Chains should be the one you reel in when fishing in the ocean of generic bands.

Download: Start Living, Tragedy, I Go On, Chasing The Dragon
For the fans of: Sick Of It All, The Misfits, Madball, International Superheroes Of Hardcore
Listen: Myspace

Release date 16.11.2009
I Scream Records