Entry the 35th: Earth Crisis - Breed The Killers

Breed The Killers was the first (non-live) Earth Crisis album to be released after I started listening them. The anticipation with which I waited for this release was massive. It came out in September of 1998, but I don't think any of the stores in Winnipeg got it in until at least October. I eventually managed to pick it up at Sam the Record Man.

I was not disappointed. I spent an inordinate amount of time listening to this album. Lots of my favorite things, most notably straightedge subject matter, but now with much more vaguely revolutionary rhetoric to "inspire" a teenage boy, and even a little millennial fear-mongering! Great! Even a good re-recording of Ecocide from the All Out War EP. It was all still in line with what one would expect Earth Crisis to produce, and I certainly was not looking for them to reinvent the wheel.

Too bad it didn't have the staying power. Destroy the Machines and Gomorrah's Season Ends were both better albums with better songs, and it is almost certain that if I find myself in the mood to spin some Earth Crisis it won't be this album heard from the speakers. Although I am enjoying this right now, even if it is largely for some nostalgia value.

Check out: End Begins

Entry the 33rd: All Out War - For Those Who Were Crucified

Eventually, Victory Records did release For Those Who Were Crucified. So ten records and about 5 months after picking up Truth In The Age Of Lies I grabbed this record, some time in the fall of 1998.

Compared to their previous effort, this one was somewhat more consistent in its tempo. Instead of the longer passages of slow moving rumble, this played a little more like a slower thrash record. The increase in speed really tickled my eardrums, but I liked the vocals a little less. It was mostly just their lead vocalist and his fairly one-dimensional squawk, and very little of the heavy gang vocals and death metallish growls.

This is still a good metalcore album, though it still doesn't compare to great examples like Hatebreed's Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire. One thing that is annoying now that did not really bug me before is the fact that three of the songs on this album are just re-recordings of songs from the previous one, including the last album's title track! It seemed like a lot of hardcore bands did this sort of thing then. In any case, thumbs up for this one, I still listen to Burning Season once in a while.

Check out: Burning Season

Entry the 23rd: All Out War - Truth In The Age Of Lies

Birthday disc number three. Like Hatebreed, I heard of these guys first through the Victory Records website. Victory was set to release For Those Who Were Crucified in the near future, but this Gain Ground release just happened to be sitting in the metal section at The Cellar and so voracious as I was for new music, my fistful of dollars and I picked it up.

Definitely somewhat akin to Hatebreed in that they had much more of a metal influence, this got lots of play back then. This was probably the heaviest thing I had, at least in the guitars department, though the vocals did sap some of the thickness. A little screechy, except for a few bits featuring guest vocalists doing something like an actual death metal growl, which was a novel thing to my ears.

I had not listened to this all the way through for years, and I actually really enjoyed it this time around. Today I can appreciate the more ponderous, more atmospheric bits that as a teenager only slowed me down. Some of the songs still do drag a little, but I am enjoying this, and I found it tough to choose a song to include!

Check out: The Deceived and the Deceivers

Entry The 2nd: Earth Crisis - All Out War

Also acquired some time in my 15th year was this ExC EP. Not as good as Destroy The Machines, it didn't get nearly as much play, although today I still know all the lyrics which at the time I thought were awesome, and today I think are different awesome. There are still some good songs on here, and the title track comes replete with a plonkity intro that I didn't realize was kind of funny back then. All in all though, the songs I like on here can be heard in better forms on other releases of theirs, which I of course have, and we will of course get to.

Check out: Ecocide