After nearly a 10 year wait, Gutrench provides us with another studio recording from the bowels of Cleveland known as Mars Studio. The production value of their Never Forgive, Never Forget full length was reason enough for me to want to record with Bill Korecky; and this follow-up offering is yet another reason. The recording of this album drastically outdoes most offerings being released on the "big name" labels in hardcore today.
That being said, the songs on this album also rival that of anything being released within the realm of hardcore today. While most bands are left trying to simply emulate the acts of the past, Gutrench has the advantage of genuinely having been there alongside their musical counterparts such as Sick Of It All, Madball and Biohazard. There is a sense of authenticity found within these songs that only genuine experience could allow. Granted the aforementioned acts have released nearly three times as many albums in the same time span as Gutrench (yeah, they've been around for that long), this album sounds fresh in comparison to a lot of what is being released otherwise. While the band has the experience, they also still have the drive to create new material that doesn't seem to have an expiration date to it.
Being a former member, it's easy to pick out the minute details and attributes of the individual members. The vocals laid down by Mark have progressed a bit since their last album while still retaining the memorable bark he's become known for amongst anyone who's ever seen or heard Gutrench. There is much more of an Agnostic Front vocal influence and the annunciation shown on this new recording allows for the lyrics to shine through. Combined with the catchiness of the hooks and choruses, the vocals really drive these songs that could potentially be forgettable if left in the hands of another vocalist. While most of the writing, arranging and coordinate is put together by rhythm guitarist and overall babysitter Dale, there are obvious and undeniable contributions from the lead guitarist to be found within these songs. Some of the shredding on this album is comparable to that of any early-era Slayer album, and that can most certainly be attributed to the long-time metal enthusiast, Damian. The drumming from Mark is moreso solid than anything I could have laid down and is an appropriate sequel to the drumming perfection that can be found on their preceding album courtesy of Pittsburgh Hardcore drumming legend, Keith Hurka. There are even obvious contributions to be found by newest member, Richie, on bass which adds depths to a few songs that previously didn't have as much (when songs were written without a bassist while I was still drumming for the band).
Continuing in the long-standing Pittsburgh tradition of self-releasing their work, Gutrench continued to put forth the effort to release a hard copy in a digital age. While the layout leaves a bit to desire due to the lack of lyrics (which are definitely worth including), it's always appreciated by someone from my era to have a physical copy of the works that had so much time put into them. I can't foresee myself getting excited about recordings in the near future that aren't facilitated by a physical product in some form or another.
Overall this album is a culmination of everything good that has come out of hardcore in the past three decades. There is, and always will be, a strong Agnostic Front influence. Vocally, lyrically and musically, AF has always been an obvious influence on the band. However, on this album, the late 80's AF-works that leaned moreso towards thrash than hardcore seemed to step to the forefront of Gutrench's playlist while writing these songs. Remnants of Carnivore, Cro-Mags, Sodom and Crumbsuckers are found scattered throughout these songs. As previously stated, there is also an obvious, refreshing sound to these tracks that wouldn't have been found as easily had the been not re-immersed themselves into the local scene within the past 5 years. Modern influences such as Death Before Dishonor, Palehorse and Terror have an almost equal contribution to this album.
I suggest taking a listen and picking up an actual physical copy (becoming quite rare these days to have this opportunity) if you're looking for 8 solid, memorable tracks of genuine hardcore. Simply put, the songs stick ... and are definitely worthy of being referred to as (Ironside) Anthems.
You can pick up a copy of this self-released disc by hitting up the band directly through their Facebook account.
