To The Lions features former members of Grade, Confine,
and SeventyEightDays. To the Lions are from Canada.
To the Lions play hardcore music- the way you remember
it, not the way it is now. Need I go on?
Baptism of Fire is a really strong album for a band
that has only been together two years, a testament
to their careers in their previous bands for sure.
Hardcore has always been a fickle beast, so I don’t
believe that anyone was really surprised when it morphed
into metalcore, but it is apparent here that the folks
at Goodfellow Records and To the Lions have been left
out of the loop. This album sounds like they forgot
it was 2007 and are still living in 1995. Thankfully
that translates into the fact that To the Lions are
showing a new generation of heavy music fans that
there was a time when this music meant something to
people, something other than “strike down those
who disagree with you” and “hurt your
neighbor.”
Hardcore music tends to blend together from song
to song and for the most part To the Lion’s
debut is no different. The saving grace here is that
the music is so intense and passionately performed
that you overlook the technicalities. Highlights include
the stunning opener “Ride the Apocalypse,”
the groove oriented “Nightmare Begins,”
and the almost catchy, sing along styling of “From
Fear and Hate Sets Free.” This is a fine album
that fans who miss the heart of hardcore bands like
Undertow, Earth Crisis, and XdiscipleX will absolutely
love.
Key Tracks:
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
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