Lexington Music Press

Over the course of 7 full lengths, 3 EP’s, 2 live albums, and a ‘hits’ compilation, EARTH CRISIS have maintained their aggressive sound and stance. Being at the forefront of the Vegan Straight Edge movement of the early 90′s, the band took this responsibility seriously and have continued on in this fashion. Originally forming in 1989, with lead vocalist Karl Buechner on bass until he took the vocal reigns, thank god, in 1991. The band’s stance toward Animal Rights, clean living through Straight Edge and Veganism, has been militant at times and severely misunderstood to this very day. After a brief hiatus from 2001 to 2007, the band returned harder and more aggressive than ever releasing To The Death in 2009. That started a snowballs effect as the band continued to tour and write. With the release of Neutralize The Threat, EARTH CRISIS still are full of venom as the topics range from The Black Panther Party to Bernard Goetz. All 10 tracks that compromise this monster of a record are inspired in some way by real life global acts of vigilantes. Starting the onslaught is the short but amazing track, “Raise”. It encompasses the punk hardcore vibe the band have always retained. Fast. Furious. Metallic like a surgeons knife. The album continues to pummel as tracks like “100 Kiloton Blast” and “Askari” blare out and destroy everything in their path. Not to say theres even one giving moment on this record as every single track plays like the soundtrack to a war. One notable thing about Neutralize The Threat is that the band manage to mix in good measure, equal parts of To The Death’s rage with Gomorrahs Season Ends’ pure unadulterated, pulverizing groove. The album closes with the intense, brooding and foreboding “Raze”. It stomps and chugs, rearing its ugly head daring one to stop listening. It demands your full attention and rightfully deserves it. As it grinds its way through its 3 minutes, it reminds the listener of CROWBAR in its sluggish destructiveness. Any fan of any style of hardcore, metalcore and even quite possibly metal should be able to appreciate what EARTH CRISIS have done here. New fans will thrill at the sound of Karl’s strained but immense sounding vocal barrage and flail wildly to the crushingly heavy and refined musical output. Old fans will sit back and rest easy knowing EARTH CRISIS are still genuinely pissed off and will not be going anywhere anytime soon. The threat is here. The threat is real. Get educated.

Revolver

Rather than focus on their characteristic topics like animal rights or straightedge, hardcore vets Earth Crisis tackle the issue of vigilantism on this seventh album. During the title track, Bernard Goetz, who famously shot four men he claimed where trying to rob him in 1984, gets center stage: “Defense mechanism instincts overtake/Lights flicker as the subway car shakes,” frontman Karl Buechner barks viciously, while chilling guitars strike with precision. Later, Black Panther Flores A. Forbes is depicted in “Askari,” a jagged, off-kilter workout with a “militant to the core” message. Overall, Neutralize the Threat is an ace melding of intriguing subject matter and killer sounds.

ActionRecon.com

The first time I went to see Earth Crisis was in Detroit in 1996, it was just after “Gomorrah’s Season Ends” came out and the band had a vibe around them like none other at the time. Their militant animal rights and straight edge stance had brought them a great deal of attention and made them one of the most notorious bands in hardcore. What really stuck in my head was the insanity that hit the venue when they closed the show with “Firestorm” an ultra militant anthem that erupted the place like a nuclear blast. There were fights, people were getting knocked out, there were pile ups on the stage, sing alongs, things got broken, security had no chance and the Courage Crew wreaked havoc on the dance floor. In short it was hardcore ecstasy.

From the start of “Neutralize The Threat” I was given that feeling that Earth Crisis gave me so long ago. The idea that you were listing to a dangerous band, a band that questioned the status quo, spoke their minds and supported the idea of “Direct Action” and “Militant” action to the core. Simply put the album is so unbelievably heavy and angry it almost sounds like Earth Crisis just started yesterday, they still possess the youthful vigor and angst that makes music like this possible and translatable. Frontman Karl Buechner delivers such an amazing vocal onslaught and drives the point of the band so hard that even if you are not part of their philosophy it moves you. The man has drive and passion and it resonates in the music and the lyrics from opening track “Raise” to closing track “Raze”.

Musically the album follows the path of their last album “To The Death”, but also tips its hat at past glory “Gomorrah’s Season Ends”, with the main difference been the quality of the production. The music is thick and bass filled, the breakdowns are thunderous and the fast thrashy parts kick in like a heard on the move. Earth Crisis have always been a band that sounded like they were fighting a war both musically and lyrically and “Neutralize The Threat” is exactly the kind of music that would accompany the feelings of militant political and social uprising. Songs like “Counterstrike” and title track “Neutralize The Threat” are monstrous songs that evoke the exact type of emotion that it takes to spark action.

Lyrically the album sticks tight to the same ideologies that Earth Crisis built the band on, but approaches them differently. Many of the lyrics deal with real stories of activism and uprising from some notorious individuals and political groups around the globe. Earth Crisis speak about the Black Panther Party and on Bernhard Goetz who shot four men in self defense on a subway in New York City in the 1984. It’s these type of acts that Earth Crisis have supported and called for from day one and the inclusion of the real life stories in the lyrics on this album make it all the more real and passionate.

“Neutralize The Threat” is an album that possess all the right elements of a hardcore/metal album. Musically, lyrically and vocally its more then on par and lets us all know that Earth Crisis is still alive and well and that they came to play. The album will hit stores, iTunes and Amazon July 12th in North America and was released on July 4th in Europe. The album is a beast and something that any real fan of Earth Crisis needs in their collection.

Metal-Temple.com

Some things and situations need the appropriate time to be exposed and finally given to people. In some occasions the results are not the ones you are hopping for but most of the times the given result in higher than your expectations.

This appropriate and precise time has come for Earth Crisis to spread the word once more, reminding to all hardcore and metalcore fans what it takes to play decent and honest music, straight from the heart, detached and uncompromising, proving their value and giving a big breath of life to the seemingly slow dying genre of metalcore, from boring releases and wannabe attitudes!

Their latest statement "Neutralize the threat" has nothing to prove to anyone, for they don’t need to. From their first monumental release of "All Out War" EP, until their latest one they were always and still are on the first line, protesting and daring acts that the rest of the bands still aren’t capable of, without false intentions, without fake and wannabe attitude, giving always new meaning to the genre since they were formed.

For everyone who’s had enough of listening to proven tired and overestimated metalcore bands like Hatebreed and others, here is the chance to listen to some loyal and real metalcore/hardcore tunes coming straight out of our common lives and from the bleeding world we all live in.

Tracks like "100-Kiloton Blast" and "By Conscience Compelled" made me shiver and woke memories to me when I first listened "Gomorrah's Season End" delivering me the same satisfaction and pleasure to my ears. Without fancy and tricky stuff, Earth Crisis introduce us to the real world, show its real problems, protesting one more time against those who overlook those issues and scream out the root of all this evil, towards animal cruelty and environmental rape.

Needless to say more, for I am sure that the metalcore fans have already listened to it, and they have enjoyed it, like I did. For those who are not familiar with the band, make yourselves a favor and listen to "Neutralize the Threat", listen how pure metalcore is played by its own innovators and pioneers.

Frankly, above and beyond any rank, 'cause simply releases like this one CANNOT BE RATED, so I have to rank it as a masterpiece, though this scoring is so meaningless…

ALL OUT WAR!!!

StereoKiller.com

If you were sitting over my shoulder for the past 30 minutes, you would have seen me start and delete the opening of this review atleast two dozen times. I must say that I’m having a bit of trouble figuring out where I want to begin with this one. With White Zombie and Pantera lying in the grave, the only remaining band in my top 3 of All-Time Favorites, Earth Crisis is left. So needless to say, handling a review for them is going to be a delicate issue for me.

In 2009, the Militant Vegan Straightedge Militia from Syracuse returned from the dead with To The Death. A quick search will lead you to my review of that album but to sum it up, I was left speechless. Our last recollection of Earth Crisis was Slither. An album that we wish we could forget but due to it being so far removed from your typical Earth Crisis release (and not in a good way), it’s kind of hard to not remember it. To The Death put the balls back in the music and showed that even with 8 years removed from writing Earth Crisis material, the band didn’t need a warm up album to get right back into things.

Over the course of Earth Crisis’ entire career the band seems to have built upon the foundations laid down by the previous album. All Out War was an immature chaotic mess. While I love that album because of its overall aggression, it only proved that Earth Crisis had to work on their craft a little. Firestorm was to me, what All Out War should have sounded like. The youthful aggression was there but it was much more focused and disciplined this time around. Destroy The Machines saw Earth Crisis come into their own while Gomorrah’s Season Ends showed that the band wasn’t content with not taking it the next step. For the band’s major label debut, Breed The Killers, the band took themselves well beyond the realm of just your average metalcore band. In my opinion this album might still be the bands best work. However, it was met with mixed emotions because many feel they went too big and too metal. Slither, as I previously mentioned is a forgettable album. I get the point the band was going for but the overall “commercial” sound they were going for makes Slither the only black eye on an otherwise flawless career. The band took their hiatus from 2001-2007 and returned with To The Death in 2009. That record to me was what should have come out after Breed The Killers. There was still a lot of focus placed on the more metal influences and there was a recharged aggression that seemed to be lacking from the last few discs. In other words, Earth Crisis was back and better than ever.

That all leads me into the bands 7th studio album, Neutralize The Threat. Unfortunately for the band, someone from the “press” has already leaked the album online by the time of this review and already the album is being met with mixed reviews. Some feel that the album is uninspiring and lacking creativity. Others look at it as one of the best albums in their catalog. I fall somewhere in the middle. The album is definitely heavy as balls and is still keeping the recent trend of leaning more towards the metal side of the spectrum, but at the same time I can’t help but feel slightly let down by it. I guess I could chalk it up to being spoiled but I anticipated something that was going to top the last record, like they have been doing pretty much their entire career. To me this album comes as the perfect blend of Gomorrah Season Ends and Breed The Killers. The production, song structures, and overall tone of the album just feels like equal parts of both. The only thing that stands out as something “new” so to speak is the inclusion of a lot more fast parts. Earth Crisis has primarily kept things at a medium pace their entire career. Sure there were a few tracks here and there over the course of their entire catalog but never have there been a few on one album, like this one. It’s definitely a welcomed changed but it didn’t do much to steal the thunder away from To The Death.

In the end I feel this is another great showing by the band. The members of Earth Crisis have been writing music for the past 22 years and in that time frame they have only seemed to lose focus once. Neutralize The Threat is not the bands best album too date but it’s very far from the worst. As a fan of Earth Crisis, I don’t see how any fan of the band can be truly disappointed in this record. There is no sense in wanting to hear Destroy The Machines Vol. 2, 3, and 4. The band has continued to experiment enough just to keep things interesting without killing the idea. I, for one, recommend this album.

MetalKaoz.com

Before starting this review I have to say that I’m not into the Metalcore / Hardcore scene at all. So, why did I bother doing this review? Because EARTH CRISIS promote veganism, animal rights, the philosophy of the straight edge way of life, as well as other social and political issues, and, being vegan myself, I just couldn’t not do the review.

EARTH CRISIS were formed back in 1989 by Karl Buechner. They have released five studio albums before getting into a hiatus lasting six years, between 2001 and 2007, after which they released “To The Death” in 2009. Now the band is back with their latest album, “Neutralize The Threat”, where they continue down the path they took with “To The Death”: heavier and more aggressive sound, shouting and unclean vocals and a very good production.

Lyrically, the band deals again with their favorite subjects, but in this album there is a loose connection between the lyrics, because each song is about real-life vigilante actions that have taken place around the globe. Some of the stuff here deals with the  BLACK PANTHER PARTY that was founded in the mid ‘60s for the protection of the African-American neighborhoods from police brutality and Bernhard Goetz, who shot four people in self defense on the subway in 1984.

Musically “Neutralize the Threat” is a killer one and only thirty minutes are enough to blow one’s mind. It doesn’t matter if the songs are mid-tempo or up-tempo, they are as heavy as they can be. The album is full of Hardcore Punk, groove and Thrash elements along with heavy riffs and pounding drums, with the bass and drums being the protagonists in several occasions (great bass passages in “By Conscience Compelled” and “Askari”. Songs like “Raise”, “Neutralize The Threat”, “Total War”, “Black Talons Tear” and “Askari” are so powerful and their style is so aggressive that they leave nothing standing in their way. “Raze” and “100 Kiloton Blast” are the most “slow” tracks (if we can put such a label in an EARTH CRISIS song), while the other songs move in mid-tempo melodies.

EARTH CRISIS have managed to successfully put another nail into society’s ugly side (which is unfortunately bigger than the pretty one). If you don’t care about the entire planet gone wrong, because of man’s actions, and about the straight edge and vegan way of life, I’d suggest not to bother with the lyrics. The music will satisfy you more than enough. If you give a damn and you are into this kind of music then “Neutralize The Threat” is a total must-have!

The Metal Observer

Hardcore legends EARTH CRISIS are just another example of how much I still have to learn when it comes to Metal. These New York bad-asses have been around in one form or another since 1989, and whadaya know, I’m just now hearing them for the first time. I mean, shit, I was seven when these guys first started jamming, and while band longevity is impressive in its own right, it’s EARTH CRISIS’ remarkably pissed and modern sound on their seventh and latest full-length album, “Neutralize the Threat,” that has me believing these dudes stumbled across some ancient fountain of youth.

More about breaking jaws than breaking down musical barriers, “Neutralize the Threat” is your stalwart New York Hardcore chug machine. This is tough guy Metal, but perhaps even more so, there is a militant swagger that marches direct and unwavering, chest puffed and fists clenched, intent on leveling the opposition while knocking sense into dipshits too blind and too deaf to comprehend that the world is crumbling all around them. Hardcore isn’t for everyone, and this testosterone-heavy, alpha male beat-down will draw lines quickly, but for those who buy into this, who want to feel pain and soak in the satisfaction that Metal is and will always be a source of empowerment, well, then it’s time to gear the fuck up and roll that dial to 10.

The album couldn’t begin with a more appropriately fuming song. “Raise” is just pure aggression and hostility from the word go, rolling along with Dennis Merrick’s awesome mid-paced double bass kicking and Karl Buechner’s gruffly blared drill sergeant vocals, this is the foot-stomper that sets the stage for everything else. While only a few songs get close to matching the near perfection of “Raise,” the bar is never lowered too far.

The anthemic album-titled track keeps the adrenaline flowing with its huge power chords and unpretentious solo work, and “Total War,” while opening with a breakdown we’ve all heard before, is still effective, due in large part to Zeuss’ production and the band’s veteran knack for musical demolition. Ian "Bulldog" Edwards’ bass work is clearly felt in the trudging “100-Kiloton Blast,” tracks like “Counterstrike” and “The Eradicators” are excellent slabs of no-frills Metalcore, and although the closer “Raze” may not match its homophonic counterpart on sheer bulldozing violence, no other track delivers as much seething and potent venom.

If Metal was constructed around attitude, than EARTH CRISIS are proudly carrying the flag deep into enemy territory. "Neutralize the Threat" is a headshot of energy that could give a shit about fiddling with trends or impressing you with its jazz-fusion shred lessons. Not for the squeamish.

TheNewReview.net

If I have to explain to you the irony of me sitting here eating a pulled pork barbecue sandwich while writing a review about Earth Crisis, then you might as well stop reading because this band has roots you won’t understand. And while my keyboard is gross with the sticky sweet sauce, I feel compelled to keep typing this review because I enjoy the hell out of Earth Crisis; there’s a hypocrite in all of us. Something else ironic about me is I’ve been to New York once in my life but I love New York hardcore. However, when I was there the only music I saw was Big River on Broadway and Little Shop of Horrors Off-Broadway. I think I need to go back.

But I digress. Earth Crisis is a band you should know if you pay any attention to hardcore. Heavily influential in the New York scene, they produced some damn fine records between 1991 and 2001. You can get a good feel of them in their retrospective, Forever True: 1991-2001. This collection includes excellent selections from their five-album pre-2001-break-up material, with the exception of Breed the Killers. It seems the band and a few critics didn’t like that particular album; I happen to think it’s okay enough to have had at least a few songs included, but whatever.

After reuniting in 2007 with a lineup looking very little like the original, the band released 2009′s To the Death. When I first heard To the Death I wondered why the band didn’t assume a new name. Between the lineup changes and evolution in style they are practically different. I like the new Earth Crisis, but they’re not the same band I dug in the 90s.

This year’s release, Neutralize the Threat, is like a continuation of To the Death. However, that doesn’t mean Neutralize the Threat is not worthy of decimating your ear canal. It totally is. There are plenty of excellent hardcore riffs and Karl Buechner’s vocals have never been stronger.

First take note that Neutralize the Threat is hard. In fact, it’s so hard you’ll need body armor just to make it past the first three cuts. This is not pussy hardcore. You’ll be lucky to have any teeth left when you get to the end of the album. Some of the tracks remind me of Lair of the Minotaur and Grave Maker with big, brutal, brain-jarring noise.

The title track is one of my favorites with its intensity off-set by a mini-solo. There are many other notable tracks like “Total War,” “Counterstrike,” and “Askari”. Many of these are wonderfully evil and brutal enough for some skull cracking. Additionally the album doesn’t suffer too much from all-songs-sound-alike-itis, which is a disease many claim of hardcore in general. The quality of the album as a whole is crammed with intensity, brutality, and addictive hooks.

“The Eradicators” is my favorite pick from the whole album. Impeccable drumming and creative changes make this more progressive than your typical hardcore and is what I like to hear in over-crowded genres.

Neutralize the Threat is damn harsh and will burrow into your nervous system like a metal tick. While this is not the same Earth Crisis I started with, they are in a good place and produce an unforgettable barrage. Just don’t judge the current Earth Crisis with the same band circa 1991. Consider them something new and I think you’ll objectively appreciate the quality of the current release. With apologies to the band, I am getting back to my sandwich now.

JukeboxMetal.com

Earth Crisis have always been controversial. The straight-edge, vegan hardcore band have a reputation for militant viewpoints, appropriately deserved or not, to the point of having songs that would even go as far as to suggest vandalism and violence for their cause. Perhaps the most famous example is Firestorm, a vicious song about raging war against city drug lords. Despite this – or perhaps because of this – Earth Crisis have remained one of the most popular true hardcore punk bands, and are often cited as one of the first bands to be considered metalcore, playing a hardcore sound enriched by much heavier guitars than the genre was originally used to.

Neutralize The Threat marks the second album since the band’s break up in 2001, and their second for metal label Century Media. Going back to the themes of songs such as the aforementioned Firestorm, Earth Crisis have expanded on the ideas of vigilantism against drug dealers to something more universal. Neutralize The Threat continues with songs about taking on drug-dealers when the police won’t (such as on 100 Kiloton Blast), but incorporates a wealth of songs about vigilantism in general. It is difficult to precisely determine what particular incidents the band are specifically referring to, although some are fairly obvious (such as Black Talons Tear, a title referring the Black Panthers movement).

These themes definitely fit the band’s urban and aggressive hardcore. Earth Crisis manage to very aptly straddle the line between hardcore and heavy metal. The key here is rhythm, and what keeps Earth Crisis’ music firmly in the area of hardcore. Most of the tracklist sounds firmly bass-driven (often a good move in the genre), with very punchy rhythms. The guitars, as one should expect from Earth Crisis, are wonderfully heavy and chuggy, making for a very well produced and very angry sounding record. This is precisely how metalcore should sound – not a bastardization or a watered-down version of the two genres, but a strong and unique take on the original hardcore genre itself.

As for the material on show, this is Earth Crisis at their very best. The band have certainly been known to produce some dodgy material (such as 2000′s Slither album), but this is not the case here. This is everything Earth Crisis should be and more, with not a single poor entry in its track list. Combined with its excellent production, this is a real rival for the band’s earlier classics such as Gomorrah’s Season Ends. Slow burners such as 100 Kiloton Blast, near-thrash like blasts such as the album’s title track and The Eradicators, anthemic numbers such as Total War… the entire album feels like Earth Crisis have hit a new high.

There will no doubt be naysayers who will oppose the album for its lyrical content. Frankly, whether you agree with the band’s personal politics or not, it shouldn’t affect your enjoyment of the album as a whole. Ultimately the band’s subject matter on this particular album is far-reaching within its scope, and no actual judgment is made on the actions of the real life groups and individuals whose stories are told. The band no doubt have their own opinions of those involved – but it is up to the listener to make their own opinions as well, and not just blindly agree or disagree.

Either way, Neutralize The Threat is a truly phenomenal hardcore record. In all probability it will stand as the best hardcore album of the year, if not for longer than that. Earth Crisis aren’t so much on form, as they are setting it.

LeedsMusicScene.net

Hardcore at its best, Earth Crisis' latest effort 'Neutralize The Threat' is reminiscent of classic Throwdown, God Forbid and even Chimaira. Influences of metal greats apparent, Earth Crisis differ in their environmental undertones; the straight-edge five piece have lyrical themes relating to human, animal and planetary rights. Power inherent in so much metal music since its inception in the 1980s has rarely such purpose as it does with Earth Crisis. The brutal cries erupting from vocalist Karl Buechner's lungs all serve a purpose, and that is to promote personal empowerment and to eradicate ignorance.

Tracks like 'Total War' and 'By Conscience Compelled' possess particularly anthemic punk-inspired riffs and a groove which seeks to define the true pioneers of hardcore metal from the mainstream. For fans of Pantera, perhaps As I Lay Dying and of course Hatebreed; Earth Crisis' 'Neutralize The Threat' is a fine metal album, with fine guitar melodies and powerful drum fills. Buechner's voice provides the band with their defining characteristic as he preaches to the masses.

Tales of vigilantes are the theme of every track on the album, and such political fire is a rare find in music of today. Not afraid to shock and to empower, Earth Crisis have dominated their field since their birth in 1992. 'Black Talons Tear' a fine example of the band's powerful, sludge-ridden riffs. 'Neutralize The Threat' is perhaps not an album for individuals looking to explore Earth Crisis for the first time, but the album is set to please the fans. Some metal fans may find the remarkably unaltering tempo of the album a little unimpressive, whilst the vocals and guitar melodies and harmonies retain an also similar thematic progression. In spite of the album's lack of diversity, Earth Crisis continue to do what they do best and produce another work which is sure to induce severe mayhem in the pit.

Pre-existing fans of metal, this could well be your cup of tea; Earth Crisis are sure to successfully melt the face off their listeners and continue to enforce political activism alongside those who listen and care. If you are yet to explore the magical depths of the metal world, this may not be an ideal place to start, but please do return to Earth Crisis once your ears have acclimatised to the wonderful tones of the many genres to be explored within metal.

MetalAsFuck.net

Earth Crisis are apparently straight edge (not that we should hold that against them). Regardless of messages and political stances, I fucking love this album. It reeks of old time thrash from the late 80's/early 90's and made me get out of my bath chair and stagger around the room till the nurses came in and had me strapped back in again... Neutralize The Threat is simply a great album

The opening track Raise starts with some lovely twanging bass from Ian Edwards, coupled with some relentless guitar and drums. Throw in some agonising growls for vocals and you have a delightful mix. Karl Buechner (vocals) punches out the lyrics in a simple yet brutal fashion.

Relentless is a word that kept cropping up for me; Dennis Merrick pounds the drums to perfection and I simply LOVE the entire album. The second track (and album title) is Neutralize The Threat and it distills all the goodness of early Slayer, Sepultura and Venom into a sweet, sweet track.

Listening to this album is like taking a trip back in time. I'd say it is a refreshing antidote to the over-intellectualisation of metal but there are 'messages' of one description or another in every track. There's a theme of vigilante action throughout the album but I couldn't say if the band is pro or anti...but like I said before, regardless of that it's a corker of an album.

100 Kiloton Blast is slow, thick and heavy; the vocal style doesn't really go anywhere but does it need to? No, it does what it needs to do and nothing more. The guitars of Scott Crouse and Erick Edwards work incredibly well together; it's like they deliver exactly what's needed. No more, no less.

Counterstrike, By Conscience Compelled and Black Talons Tear are just solid, uncomplicated metal tracks, and I love them for it.

Askari has some delightful dischordant sounds and the rest of the album is in a similar vein; just simple, honest to goodness metal. Like an advert for Muesli, if muesli had big pieces of iron shavings and chunks of metal shards in it. Chris Harris produced this album, and he's done a brilliant job at keeping everything in harmony. It's well-balanced, it's not over produced and is generally a delight on the ears. A top notch effort from everyone involved.

Adequacy.net

Just knowing that Earth Crisis is still alive and kicking some 20 plus years after their initial formation is reassuring, considering the fact that I was slamming to these guys back when Gomorrah’s season ended in 1996.  The New York hardcore mainstays are proponents of everything from veganism to a straightedge lifestyle offer up a new helping of hardcore with their latest salvo, Neutralize the Threat.  Let’s see if this album will still make you want to “Destroy the Machines”?

Back when I was a sophomore in high school I gradually began to check out the hardcore music scene.  Bands like Strife, Snapcase, VOD and Earth Crisis quickly became my favorites in the genre.  Unfortunately, the appeal to me was little more than a passing fad as I espoused the straightedge lifestyle at the time, but was turned off by the one-dimensionality of the music.  So, flash forward to the present day and Earth Crisis’ new album Neutralize the Threat that is both musically and stylistically true to form.  The thing that stands out the most is how this band has evolved from an overtly aggressive, primitive approach on Destroy the Machines to a more polished, mature sound on Neutralize the Threat; though they still manage to retain their validity in a somewhat stagnating genre.

The album kicks you in the gut from the get go with the title track “Neutralize the Threat” and “Total War”, but kind of loses momentum with “100 Kiloton blast”.  The album then regains a head of steam with the most profound track on the album,  “Counterstrike”.  With its anthemic chants and ridiculously heavy breakdown section, it stands up next to any thing that they have done in the past.  The last half of the album packs some punches, but fails to really knock you out of your seat as the songs are not as strong as the first half and become kind of monotonous.

Anyone that was previously a fan of Earth Crisis will definitely find some highly charged, mosh worthy material on Neutralize the Threat.  Though a bit inconsistent, the intensity and message are still just as strong as they ever were.  For a band like Earth Crisis the message is sometimes more important than the music.  To convey ideas to the masses is what they have always been about and hopefully continue to be about.  Earth Crisis will always be around challenging how we live, eat and think and to me that is something that is very commendable in this overly material society that we currently live in.

NoCleanSining.com

A confession – though my tastes these days run more towards black metal and melodic death metal, when I originally “found” the alternative scene it was through hardcore. Introduced by an older, wiser friend via a series of bootlegged tapes of various hardcore acts (Snapcase, Earth Crisis, Sick Of it All, Vision of Disorder, etc), it was music with a primal grasp of aggression that was totally different from anything else I’d heard. I was familiar with rock and metal, there were bands I really liked in both genres, but the passion of hardcore really hit me hard. I was hooked. And although following my induction into hardcore I got deeper into much heavier styles of metal, ending up discovering the speedy melodic attack of melodic death metal and the oblique darkness of black metal, I still retain a love for the sound and am anxiously awaiting the next V.O.D. record in particular.

But this is about Earth Crisis, once a relentless hardcore force of straight-edge aggression, who after several years in the wilderness returned to the fray with 2009’s To The Death, kicking and screaming with renewed energy and vitality which carried them all the way to the front of the hardcore pack once more.  Now Neutralize The Threat doesn’t make many massive changes from the formula that brought Earth Crisis back to prominence, but it does serve to further cement their position as an unstoppable and fundamental force in heavy music.  (more after the jump . . .)

Opener “Raise” gets things off to a fine start, machine-like riffing and gravel-edged vocals that bring to mind the earlier, rawer days of Machine Head, condensed and packed into a bare-bones and brutal 1:25.

“Neutralize The Threat” only builds this energy further, electrified Slayer-esque riffage and satisfyingly brutal drumming continuing in the punishing vein of the album opener. The bass-lines are taut and rigid with tension, exploding in thunderous bursts of rumbling power that provide a deep foundation for Karl Buechner’s impassioned and raw screams of rage and frustration. The song also manages to create an escalating sense of threat and terror, which lifts it head and shoulders above other, more brainless, proponents of metallic hardcore.

“Total War” opens strongly, with a hypnotic, machine-gun riff driving the song forward. The shifting, melodic chords of the (extremely catchy) chorus add a different element to the band’s sound that recalls the blistering melodies that infected Breed The Killers, while the awkward harmonics of the bridge draw influence from the more angular sounds that permeated Slither.  Although a little repetitive at times, the song breathes a fiery passion that keeps interest levels high despite its at-times-predictable structure.

“100 Kiloton Blast” is a slower affair that mixes synchronised detonations of booming bass and drums with live-wire melodic guitar leads which, despite presenting  a slightly darker tone, leaves little lasting impression overall.

Thankfully, follow-up “Counterstrike” is a revelatory song bristling with the energy of a band half their age, packing in a crippling variety of shifting rhythm changes and vibrant riffs into its sub-3 minute running time, while even taking the opportunity to exploit a twisted wah-drenched lead to add further dynamism. Vocally, the song also revels in an excess of blood-drenched screams and bitter hardcore growls, the combination of throat-scraping vocals and vehement lyrical bile expressing a deep-seated sense of frustration and justifiable anger that transcends the aggressive posturing that so often limits the genre.

The uncomfortable and at times stumbling delivery of “By Conscience Compelled” occasionally robs the track of momentum, certain riff changes and stylistic shifts in the song’s early minutes coming across more awkward than I feel was originally intended.  Pleasingly, the latter half of the song tightens up considerably with some great guitar work playing off contrasting anti-harmonies with stuttering, down-picked riffage, although the track as a whole still comes across as less compelling than I would have ultimately liked.

Any issues presented, however, are immediately dismissed by the one-two assault on the senses of “Black Talons Tear” and “Askrari” (Arabic for “soldier”), which maximise their output of riotous vocals and energetic, punchy riffage to great effect. The bulldozing crush of the former incorporates some surprising flashes of melody and oppressively dark atmospherics, while also toying with bass-led moments of restraint and reverb-drenched, moody guitar lines, while the steady, slow-burn of the latter brings a ruthless, predatory vibe to the proceedings. At times the track borders on death metal levels of intensity with its monstrous chords and grinding bass-lines.

Disappointingly, although “The Eradicators” possesses a nice line in galloping metallic guitar work and stark, intimidating guitar leads – lending the song an element of catchiness that it otherwise lacks – overall the song lacks any truly memorable moments of clarity or vigour, instead flailing rather ineffectively without any sense of focus.

Pleasingly, however, the album does end on a high note with the bleak strains of “Raze” providing a damning indictment of the futility of existence. Short, sharp and devastatingly focussed, the song is a remarkably exhausting work out of brutally heavy guitar beatdowns and prophetic, cataclysmic vocals. Moments of buzz-saw melody interject themselves into the hammering riffs to provide a subtle contrast which only serves to enhance the over-powering heaviness of the song.

To be brutally honest, I would say that overall Neutralize The Threat is not quite as good an album as To The Death, failing to scale the heights quite as frequently while also unfortunately (and unexpectedly) plumbing the depths of mediocrity at times. That being said, it is still a very strong record in many respects, with a raft of individual (and surprisingly varied) songs which efficiently transcend any weaknesses otherwise displayed. The best songs on the record could stand toe-to-toe with the best the band have ever produced, whilst even the worst still show signs of life amidst their otherwise flailing display of directionless sound and fury.

A thematic exploration of construction and collapse, thematically building up an edifice of primal strength and biting aggression, only to remorselessly tear it down to nothing once more, this record acts as a showcase for both the fundamental strengths and weaknesses of metallic hardcore – as demonstrated by a band who, at their best, remain an unstoppable force of righteous fury.