The Alliance - Hit Em UPDIY 2007
I know this record came out in 2007 but this review is for those who are still not familiar with this Detroit act. It’s their third album so far and the music on this one might surprise you if you remember their previous work. While Time Heals Nothing and In Love, In Honor, In Death were typical mosh-filled hardcore records, decent, but nothing above average, this time they put more stress on groove side of things.
The outcome is one of the most intense albums that came out in 2007 and even since then not many records have made so big impression on me. One of the reasons this album works for me so well is the way they mix intense and heavy hardcore with some rap influences. In some parts they remind me of bands like Second To None or Fury Of Five. Just like them, they pack their songs with a lot of great hooks and memorable riffs and basically, there’s always something interesting going on to keep my attention. What I like about these songs is that their style swings around from that heavy mosh, double bass heaviness to powerful and faster groove. Lyrically, this album is straight street music, giving you real life tales of struggle, empty pockets, sacrifice and survival. It’s really hard to pick up my favorite tracks, but I would go for American Way and Color Blind (which is great song about how much nazis and racists are not welcome at the hardcore scene). If you like down to earth hardcore, you will definitely be able to connect with their music.
The Alliance! @ Myspace
