AN UNEASY PEACE • self-titled

AN UNEASY PEACE • self titled 7″ EP

Dirt Cult Records

I was taken aback when I heard Lance’s voice on the An Uneasy Peace E.P. Have you ever found a note, or heard a message from someone that you were certain you’d never hear from again? It was strangely both transportive and comforting, while being haunting and sorrowful. An Uneasy Peace is a project of Lance Hahn’s that was aimed at being a hardcore band. Musically it is standard, catchy, SOCAL style HC. But it’s really a Lance record and if you’re reading this then I’m certain you already know what I mean. Lance had a way of turning anything he did into a very definable “Lance Hahn” entity by way of distinct guitar style, lyric phrasing, and voice. I don’t remember where I was when I’d heard that Lance Hahn had died. I remember it was 2007 and maybe Fall. We’d been pen pals from the later years of Cringer through the birth of the internet and onto electronic mail. The last time I’d seen him was outside of Brownies in Hoboken, NJ and I hassled him about records he owed me. It was the first time someone I knew, with a connection to the underground community that I really respected their song writing and art and who was a friend to everyone, had died. I’m happy that this has found its way from an idea to its vinyl home, the way I’m certain it was originally intended. (JD)

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Justin Dratson: JD   Nate Wilson: NW   Matt Average: MA

 

OBEDIENCE • MMXIX LP

OBEDIENCE • MMXIX LP

Fair Warning Records

Obedience gets their washing done while blazing through a live set . Photo: Jack Blackmon

Obedience are back with a full length of ripping hardcore punk that does not waste a second getting down to business. From the opener “Abuse of Power” to the closer “Divide” it’s a relentless ride the whole way through with zero detours. Pedal the the metal! Get on or get mowed over. The songs are as catchy as they speedy, which is no easy feat. Check out “Snake Oil” and “Wall Me In” (a song that sticks in your head for days) for a couple of very good examples. Catchy doesn’t always mean tepid pop punk. “Empty Words” is blazing full on number that can slow the tempo down in a flash and lose none of the intensity set up by the main hammering pace, and Dave Ackerman’s vocals have this gnarled and strained quality about them that effectively conveys the urgency of the moment. I’m also hearing some Tony Erba influences in the delivery. “I Won’t” is wound up and white hot frantic that somehow manages to stay focused on the mission of crushing your head with sonic force. That short guitar solo from Kevin Alexander pushes it over into the roiling chaos that swirls around it. There’s also a good dose of East Coast influences with breakdowns throughout the record, giving the music more power and more impact to the fast full on assaults. Band personnel consist of folks from Tear It Up, Concrete Elite, Severed Head of State, Criaturas, Breakout, and Signal Lost, but don’t come into this expecting to hear snippets of those bands. Obedience is its own beast, seamlessly melding the past with the present, and creating something that doesn’t need to rely on past endeavors. Get with the times, and get this. (MA)

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Justin Dratson: JD   Nate Wilson: NW   Matt Average: MA