BARCODE

Ahead of the Game

Scarlet
rating icon 7 / 10

Track listing:

01. Fuck What You Say
02. All Out War
03. Pussy Galore
04. United Underground
05. Minor Offence
06. Lockdown
07. Beat Around The Bush
08. Emo Nation
09. Course Of Action
10. Wider Shade Of Pain
11. Glassjaw
12. Built To Destroy
13. Ahead Of The Game


I suppose there was not enough room on the Nuclear Blast roster for two traditional hardcore bands, so Denmark's BARCODE went after releasing a slamming album called "Showdown" and AGNOSTIC FRONT stayed. Now on Italy's Scarlet Records, BARCODE returns with its fifth album, "Ahead of the Game", a meaner, if somewhat less memorable, disc than "Showdown".

BARCODE remains one of the world's most underrated hardcore bands, at least on this side of the Atlantic, and it's time that fans of classic hardcore stand up and take notice. I doubt that SICK OF IT ALL's Lou Koller makes another appearance on a BARDCODE album simply because he's being nice (he does guest vocals on the short basher "Course of Action"). In all likelihood, it is because he knows that the Denmark crew is the real deal, paying homage to bands like Koller's, as well as former label mates AGNOSTIC FRONT. Even a new vocalist (SS GRAVEYARD, ex-DEMOLITION, INC.) does nothing to stop this freight train from barreling down the tracks. In fact, his brutal bark is rather similar to that of the former vocalist (Butch). Tue Madsen's production is once again a good fit for the band, bringing out the thickness of the bottom, including a sharp drum sound, as well as making the riffs of Dr. J (HATESPHERE's and ALLHELLUJAH's Jacob Bredahl) and Panter fat and nasty. Song-wise, you get 13 songs of in-your-face hardcore violence, the highlights including the less than subtle "Fuck What You Say", "All Out War", and the anthem-esque "Emo Nation".

"Ahead of the Game" is quintessential old school based hardcore that makes no apologies. There may be better hardcore releases out there, but not too damn many. A lower score than "Showdown", which got a 7.5 here, is based only on the fact that "Ahead of the Game" does not have as many of the aforementioned memorable songs. Regardless, it is a wonderful fist to the face for any fan of vintage hardcore.

Author:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).