Bury The Living/Evil Army--2split 7"
Soul Is Cheap 2004
Hardcore and metal have certainly made for interesting bedfellows, over the years. Purists from both sides may resent it to some degree but the truth of the matter is, more often than not, this pairing has proven a successful match. In fact, it should come as no surprise after all these years that this union is still forging gems. Look no further than this Bury The Living/Evil Army split for proof of that fact.
First up are Bury The Living with their five contributions to this slab. These folks lay down superb traditional hardcore, with a political/anti-war undercurrent in the lyrics. If the blazing thirty second blast is your preferred speed, Bury The Living keep you covered on "Lies!Lies!Lies!" and "What Was Said." Still, it's nice when they stretch things out a bit, as on "Just Like You Said" and "Who Woke Up Senator Joe." These two tracks benefit a great deal from nice tempo shifts which aid in making this overall listen feel much more multidimensional.
Evil Army close things out with three new originals on their half of the split. Here, Evil Army do the crossover thing better than anyone else going today--imagine Kill 'Em All-era Metallica being run through the to-the-point/no bullshit songwriting filter of early D.R.I. The way this side flows, it feels more like one continuous piece than three seperate songs. That isn't a drawback, though. A good part of the reason this material has that feel is because Evil Army have somehow managed to turn up the ferocity about five notches since their instant-classic first 7" on Contaminated. Not an easy task, to say the least, but the proof is in the pudding.
If you missed the kind of music either of these bands play during the "golden" periods of those genres, this 7" would be a nice introduction to either style--Bury The Living and Evil Army both have a vintage feel to what they do. For that reason, this platter will also be a pretty crucial pick up for the old timers. Purists may keep debating the point until they're blue in the face but it will never change the fact that hardcore and metal do in fact compliment eachother well. This 7" is another monument to that fact. Highly recommended.
Score this 7" directly from EVIL ARMY
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