SicZine.com

It seems these guys have had a strong buzz surrounding them (by hardcore standards anyway) over the last couple of weeks, and I've heard nothing but good things from people who know what's up. You would actually think these guys would be getting more exposure considering they feature Ensign's Tim Shaw on vocals and Bill Henderson who founded and played guitar in Thursday, as well as the lesser known NJ band Purpose, which featured other notable members that went on to join/play in Saves The Day and Ensign. You would think it'd be difficult considering most of the guys in the band all have other bands that they are in, but I guess it helps that they are all from NJ.

Before this, the band released the "Less We Believe" EP, which was released in 2006 on Think Fast! And this is another interesting thing, I'm not 100% sure, but I think these guys got their name from a Billy Bragg song, I believe it was from the "Life's A Riot Between The Wars" album.

This full length contains 16 tracks of metallically tinged hardcore/punk that has no shortage of variety in both the dynamics of the song writing, as well as the tempos that are used herein. And man, I don't recall Bill Henderson laying down licks as sweet as this on anything he did with Thursday. And Tim Shaw's raspy, desperate yells just seep into your mind as he vehemently chastises everything from religion, the government, and it's mindless followers. These guys have no bass player, so Bill and Joe Tarella both share the duties on this record, and they both do a fantastic job of throwing some intricate basslines. It's crazy how consistent this album sounds even with the minor stylistic changes that are thrown in. Some songs have a straight up thrash song complete with sweet soloing. Then you have a song like "Clenched Fist" that has an almost 108 feel to it. There are also moments of the straight forward punk. And I can't forget to mention the wonderful drum work provided by Paul Colucci, who does a masterful job of complimenting everything the guitarist throw his way. He can be simple when need be but can throw in some sick fills too.

Even before the music grew on me, I was really feeling the lyrics (which also kept me listening to this over and over). The song "Keep Laughing" seems to be about believing in religion only for it not help you out when you really needed it the most, or it could just be about a friend but with all of the other songs that have a religious undertone I would assume it to be the prior. "Sore Throat" is about how even though you're not doing the killing in the war, you're still guilty for not standing up and screaming out "No More!". "For Nothing" tells its listener to "defy [y]our masters" and that we owe our government nothing because this country was built on our backs while the top 2% collect all the money, we crawl for pennies to the dollar trying to make ends meet. "No Obligation" is one of my favorite songs lyrically as it talks about how kids shouldn't be forced into religion until they can form their own opinion. "The Last Drop" is Tim Shaw letting you know that hardcore/punk music has given him so much and he will give everything he can back to it. "The Meek Will Inherit Nothing" is about how unless you fight for something with courage you will just "...fade to dust." "Clenched Fist" is about how religions have used war and bloodshed to gain followers rather than a peaceful, respectful way. That's some of the songs that really stood out to me, and I'm sure by after reading that and my other reviews that I really have a disdain for organized religion.

The recording job on this is unreal. It comes through your speakers crystal clear, every plucked note resonates beautifully. Bill Henderson did a wonderful job producing this. The guitar tone is versatile as hell, it sounds great whether it's during a metal-esque solo or acoustic interlude. The bass tone is equally good, the tone is warm with just the right amount of twang to help it cut through the mix a bit. Tim Shaw's raspy screams sound great with just the slightest effects added in certain spots. Couldn't have for a better drum tone for this recording. Kudos and them some.

Now this is one hell of a layout! The high quality gloss layout is full of awesome metallic gold ink with plenty of blue to accent it. The front cover design is aweeeesome, the water in the middle looks realistic as hell while the waves that are about to crash over the ship are cartoony looking. The map that is placed in the background was a really nice touch (this is also done in the booklet). The booklet is 6 pages, and were really well designed. Each page has the lyrics displayed over a piece of yellow paper with band photos and images that tie into the theme and color scheme contrasted into the background. Really good shit here. 4/5

Smother.net

Ensign’s frontman Tim Shaw mans the mic while the guitars are handled by former Thursday member Bill Henderson. But beside the hardcore creds, Between the Wars is a post-hardcore indie rock juggernaut that juggles manic visceral proto-punk with hardcore anthems and indie rock harmonies. I love how “Death and the Sea” was recorded—it sounds like they’re playing right behind you with a definite attention to sounding like it was recorded completely live. Raw throaty vocals, vicious flaming frets, and frenetic drumming combine to construct Between the Wars as a group who may just have escaped the local prison, asylum, or fast food joint hellhole.

PunkNews.org

Fans of the unique, metallic hardcore punk to be found on Between the Wars' Less We Believe EP shouldn't be terribly disappointed with their first full-length, Death and the Sea, but hopefully they'll be wary of the changes. Initial listens seem to reveal little difference between the two, but there are plenty of improvements and progressions heard upon repeat spins that help to mark Death and the Sea as a definite improvement on its predecessor.

Between the Wars still feature the angry, high-pitched, raspy yell of Ensign's Tim Shaw and the intricate, metal-influenced riffs from Bill Henderson, an early guitarist for Thursday. Combined, the two help put forth a sound that's, at times, sort of like the middle ground between Rise Against and Snapcase, if there was one to be found. The band throw in a boatload of tempo changes, as well as complex leads that help Death and the Sea sound more like an early `90s release than standard youth-crew revival. "Death" even closes with dueling, straight-up metal riffs that avoid sounding out of place due to the already metallic tint set in place throughout the album's course.

While Death and the Sea is very solid front to back, a lot of the standouts come right in its midsection. The militantly anti-authoritarian "For Nothing" tears off some serious soloing in its early goings before Shaw chimes in with a wild, punctual vocal flow along with pumping riffs. "No Obligation," about the misgivings and forgiving of children's thoughts, crushes the listener with a pretty pulverizing breakdown, while the band pick it up quickly with an active, energetic tempo in much of the next track, "Beneath the Dead Sky." Stop-start instrumentation makes for a dynamic, attention-grabbing piece in "The Last Drop." But there's also great moments later on, like the groove-oriented "Clenched Fist" and the bold "Cold War" with some of the most insane riffing you'll hear all album.

Death and the Sea strikes a perfect balance -- much of it should please fans of either alum (at least, Ensign fans and fans of Thursday during Henderson's stint that is), but it certainly sounds different enough to understand why its members stepped out of their respective outfits (Henderson also plays in the Procedure and X One Way X) to create this. As a project consisting of some rather busy lads, Between the Wars may not even live out to see the reality of its own namesake, but they've certainly marked their territory with Death and the Sea.

Pivotal Rage

Being a newbie to the world of punk and hardcore, I’m not the one to ask about the reputations of labels like Think Fast! Records. But I’m beginning to think that, whatever their reputation is, they’re at least well-deserving of a good one. I just got done reviewing an enjoyable new offering from Boston’s Far From Finished, and now comes this one from New Jersey hopefuls Between The Wars featuring current Ensign frontman Tim Shaw and ex-Thursday guitarist Bill Henderson. No doubt this gorgeous cover art and Ernest Hemingway-like album title will do the trick when it comes to drawing in at least some curious listeners, but it’s the energy and creativity of the music itself that will keep ‘em coming back for more. To be clear, Death And The Sea has a blood-red marrow of hardcore punk all the way. The political and moral overtones, for instance, ooze out of “No Obligation” and its ending refrain of “give them a voice!” (in reference to children), and musically, breakdowns are aplenty. But this is also a CD put together by mature musicians who can flat-out PLAY. To stay with “No Obligation” as an example, it manages to open up with a familiar riff that I just knew from somewhere, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Until, that is, I realized it was Megadeth’s “Back In The Day.” I’m not suggesting that Between The Wars copied it but rather trying to make the point that this isn’t your normal hardcore act. Much as they did with the most recent release from Avenged Sevenfold, punk aficionados may find this guitar work to be a case of unseemly wankery. (Check out the crazed interplay between guitar and bass during the hidden track at the end of the CD.) However, fans of compact, aggressive songwriting with a healthy dose of the guitarist’s hero-worship will enjoy what Between The Wars puts down on Death And The Sea. Yeah, maybe screamer Tim Shaw does sound a little too weak at times for the overall production, almost like he’s straining to meet the demands of his bandmates. But he certainly doesn’t lack the necessary conviction when it comes to these heady lyrics, and indeed while he doesn’t provide as strong an assault as some of his rivals, he does have a uniqueness all his own. And for that, it’s easy to be won over. 5/5

Treats From The Underground

This is the debut full length release from this New Jersey based band. These guys play some very cool, highly aggressive Punk/Hardcore styled music. The music is mostly planted in the Hardcore genre, but there are lots of flavorings of Punk all through out. I liked the rough intense & fast paced Hardcore beats mixed with the more upbeat & grooved Punk sounds. The music is full of adrenaline that just knocks you all over the place. I liked the old school styled New York sounding Hardcore scream vocals a lot. It reminded me of BLACK FLAG, AGNOSTIC FRONT & SHEER TERROR a lot. If your a fan of this style of music this CD must be in your collection!!!

Skratch Magazine

I can’t remember the last time I reviewed a hardcore album I could actually imagine listening to on my own time. Maybe it was Malady, and that was three years ago. Between the Wars have a much more typically hardcore sound than Malady, but they do have a, dare I say, emo tinge. The vocals are fierce and gristly, but not your usual hardcore growl/chant. The singing and music fit together much better than most breakdown-based hardcore. This skilled approach can ignite a rousing pit and appeal to the stolid, arms crossed crowd. Great debut LP, can’t wait to hear more.

Outburn

If any band breathes new life into the idea of a punk metal hybrid-after a several year flood of second rate metalcore acts-it'll be Between the Wars. Every aspect of the band's vein popping sound captured on Death and the Sea, makes it stand out from the pack. For starters there's vocalist Tim Shaw, at first blush the band's weak spot. He has a thin, hoarse, and unprofessional hardcore scream, but after listening to him for a few minutes it's impossible not to enjoy his energy and passion. Then there are the guitars, which instead of sticking to thrash riffs, work with the drums to often favor an epic Viking feel. They pile intricate riff upon intricate riff, adding in plenty of variety without letting up on the metal intensity. Then there's the remarkably concise, don't waste a second songwriting-only six of the 16 tracks break the three minute mark, yet the musicians manage to work in loads of tempo and mood shifts. And finally, beautiful acoustic instrumentals commence and conclude the record. It's arguable they should have been placed in the middle somewhere, just to break up the nonstop rage onslaught, but they prove the band's talent and versatility. This is a perfect record for the fan of raw and angry, but at the same time, technical, music. 9/10

Decibel

Once, there was a little band called Ensign. They were one of the greatest New Jersey hardcore bands that ever existed. They were fast, catchy, loads of fun and completely free of the lunkhead bullshit that came to plague hardcore. Youth crew kids and skinheads alike would pack venues and just rock out to them. If you grew up in the suburbs, this was salvation.

To hear Ensign’s frontman Tim Shaw singing in a new band, well, it’s hard for this Jerseyite to suppress the nostalgia that inevitably wells. But after 10 seconds of hearing Death and the Sea, it’s clear that the Garden State–bred Between the Wars are not Ensign 2.0. BTW are more massive-sounding, thanks largely in part to technical proficiency—the chord styling of ex-Thursday guitarist Bill Henderson scale the walls like jittery five-pound spiders. But it’s the dark drama that envelops tunes such as “Uno Mas” and “No Obligation” that stick to one’s ribs. Lyrically, Shaw paints a bleak picture, which is at odds with his positive-hardcore days of yore, but at least he’s colorful. “Can’t you taste the desperation? It hangs in the air, thick with the stench of broken dreams,” he yowls on the title track. Political themes are tossed in to round out the display of pissy angst. “Clenched Fist” and “Cold War” attack white-collar zealots with irate energy.

Death and the Sea is a heady listen, a little overblown at times, but it keeps the creative momentum going. The natives would call that “Jersey fresh.”

AMP Magazine

First off, greatest opening to a hardcore CD ever. Nice, happy, pretty acoustic riffage breaks into some serious, in-your-fucking-face HARDCORE! Man! So
good! As much as I love this CD - and I love it a lot - I wish Tim would go back and make another ENSIGN record, too. Can't we find a way to have both of these bands exist at once? Please? Ok, well aside from that - this band stands on it's own merits. No "ex-and-current members-of" bullshit needed. This is a seriously fucking stellar CD from start to finish. You have to use ENSIGN as a point of reference since it's the same vocalist, and they do share some of the same traits on the more upbeat, somewhat poppy parts of each song, but these guys also bring a heaviness with them that ENSIGN has never really gone for with any regularity. I'm not saying ENSIGN can't bring it with the best of them, because they can - it's just not their style. So anyway, pretty technical, brutal hardcore with some seriously intense musicianship and heartfelt lyrics with a passionate approach to delivering the words makes this band
the real deal.

The Playlist.net

Between the Wars are a bonfide hit, which they should be. Featuring Bill Henderson, formerly of Thursday, and Tim Shaw, the excellent vocalist of Ensign, anything less than stellar would be a letdown. I must say that this band is quite far from a letdown.

They are definitely a hardcore band, but they fuse different hardcore styles. They have melodic guitar lines and some off kilter parts. There is plenty of sing along parts, and they even through in some Spanish influenced acoustic numbers for good measure. They remind me of a mixture of Bane, Burn, 108 and Ensign. The style mixtures are quite smooth, with not much about this album sounding awkward. The vocals are top notch here, as I've always been a huge fan of Shaw's voice and the way he uses it.

There is plenty to like about this album, and I'm sure that popularity will follow suit. These are catchy and well crafted hardcore numbers, different in styles and high in quality.

RebelNoise.com

Angry hardcore vocals connect with some fast heavy metal music. This is what between the wars’ latest CD, “death and the sea” offers in spades. Tim Shaw’s (ENSIGN) ripping vocals lead these New Jersey natives through 15 unstoppable tracks on their full-length debut. The more I listen to this record the more I like it, a lot! Metal air guitar riffs and jumping up and down raging hardcore vocals, what’s not to love?

The old blokes from Iron Maiden should hear this record because this is what Iron Maiden should have attained to. But their loss is our gain as, between the wars covers hardcore/metal territory that few bands can only dream of reaching. If you have an appreciation for classic metal, come on you know you do, and you feed off the anger and energy of really good hardcore, then look no further then picking up a copy of “death and the sea.” Give it a few spins, played loudly, to let it sink in and then… hardcore/metal bliss.