By Between The Wars

Released April 11, 2006

Tracklist

1. Grinding Axes
2. In Darkness
3. In A Perfect World, You'd Be Dead
4. Slaves And Masters
5. Mankind Is A Time Bomb
6. Tending To Ruin
7. American Mutiny
8. We'll All Burn

AMP Magazine

Holy fucking shit this is good!  Mark my words - these guys are the new face of hardcore. Featuring ENSIGN front man Tim Shaw and ex-THURSDAY member Bill Henderson, they definitely don't lack the talent, experience or drive to become the best, and if this EP is any indication, they're gonna be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. Definitely of the best new hardcore bands I've heard in quite a while, and if you dig ENSIGN, or bands like 108 and BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, you'd be diggin on this too. Seriously good shit here, for sure.  

PastePunk.com

Less We Believe marks the return of ENSIGN vocalist Tim Shaw, alongside THE PROCEDURE's Bill Henderson. Although ENSIGN has been quiet for a handful of years now, it's clear that Shaw hasn't strayed too far from his vision of what a hardcore band should sound like. This eight song EP is a throttling exhibition in powerful metallic hardcore with thunderous guitars and Shaw's instantly gripping bellicose yell. BETWEEN THE WARS are a bit more technical and nuanced in their approach than most hardcore bands and that can be chalked up to Henderson's plentiful source of talent (see THE PROCEDURE's Shift Pacific) and the band's status as a collection of seasoned veterans. This isn't your typical blueprint of verse/verse/breakdown/verse hardcore. While Less We Believe isn't lacking in breakdowns, the song's aren't committed to mundane structures, and as a whole, the EP's 18 minutes swell together to form an unflappable pose. ENSIGN always reminded me of what early SICK OF IT ALL would have sounded like if mated with the dynamics and thoughtfulness of SNAPCASE, and Less We Believe takes that a step further. Like ENSIGN's stellar full-length Cast The First Stone, BETWEEN THE WARS pushes for a sound and energy that simply knows no limits.

PunkRockTheory.com

Between the Wars hails from New Jersey, boasts Ensign’s lead singer and an ex-Thursday guitarist in its ranks, and makes the kind of urgent metallic hardcore that picks up where the legacy of Snapcase left off, with scatterings of newer mindful yet utterly scalding bands like Modern Life is War and Bleeding Kansas strewn about. This eight-track release unleashes a tumultuous hardcore trajectory whose post-hardcore fretwork and metallic foundations found on tracks like “In A Perfect World, You’d Be Dead” and the malevolent “American Mutiny” sound best when cranked to 11. Intricate enough for the tech head (especially guitar-wise), yet charged with the same scolding intent as old school hardcore, LESS WE BELIEVE is a masterful album awaiting fans of dense hardcore. 8/10

StereoKiller.com

i normally hate wanking guitars, but every once in a while it suits the band's needs. this is just such an occasion. back to the guitar work (courtesy of bill henderson, ex-thursday), the only way i could describe this is epic (maybe not the right word, but it's the first that comes to mind) hardcore. i mean, it feels like you're standing in front of some fucker giving his big "i'm trying not to make you scared of getting dead" speech and you're eating up every word. think if william wallace was a hardcore band. the pace of the music shifts tempos, but is overall steady. solo after solo and it doesn't get old, it actually accents the whole thing pretty well. tim shaw is still in top form screaming the anthem that might even remind some people why we even started listening to hardcore in the first place. call me a dickrider, i'll show you my ticket. the bass is the one thing besides shaw that reminded me of ensign. subtle, but easily distinguishable (spelling has nothign to do with the internet) off in the background. brasstacks, it's nothing mind blowingly original. it's also, not ensign reborn. it's just a good hardcore (with a some metallic persuasion in there for good measure) record that isn't grossly dumbed down and flexing it's muscles or attempting to be some pretentious art school drop out's "sensitive" version of agression. it's just straight the fuck up awesome music played well and delivered with fed ex precision. buy this album and i can guarantee a lack of anything like dissapointment.

PunkNews.org

Apparently the sum result of one member of Ensign and one member of Thursday is one of the most promising hardcore acts from New Jersey in recent memory. Ensign vocalist Tim Shaw and former Thursday guitarist Bill Henderson (Waiting) is apparently a formidable combination, as they team up with a few others in Between the Wars, a refreshing act playing Bane-styled, tempo-varied hardcore punk. Both of the notable members here provide influence from their resumés; Shaw's scratchy yell and the general punk leanings recall the Ensign tag, while Henderson can be found tucking neat post-hardcore riffs that recall his early work into songs like "Mankind Is a Timebomb" and the instrumental "In Darkness." Between the Wars is a band who manage to cleanly integrate their influences as well, which include 108 and Quicksand. Sure, there's breakdowns, like in "In a Perfect World, You'd Be Dead" and "Slaves and Masters," but they're not heavy for the sake of heavy -- barely at all, in fact, which is actually easy to get behind. Sure, there's metal riffs, like in "Grinding Axes" and "Mankind Is a Timebomb," but hardly necessitating the labelling of a word loathed by many. Less We Believe is quite solid, but that shouldn't be surprising considering the pedigree. Between the Wars take from a number of genres to write some rousing, creative hardcore punk songs; the eventual full set of them should be a treat, no question.

Status Magazine

In the mid to late 90's in Southern California you couldn't go to a show and not see something to do with Ensign. They were either playing a show in the upcoming weeks, or people were wearing their shirt and/or speaking about how they just saw them a few weeks prior. Unfortunately when Ensign signed with Nitro it marked the beginning of the end. Regardless, Ensign holds a special place in my own heart and when the impassioned vocals of Tim Shaw came blaring out of my speakers on the way to work in the morning, it was going to be a good day. Between The Wars features Tim and sounds like a modernized Ensign. Metallic and passionate, this is easily one of the better debuts I have heard in a while. It's a must have, plain and simple.