Record Review: SKARHEAD's NYHC Cover Album "Dreams Don't Die"

SKARHEAD must be one of those bands that have as many enemies as they have fans. During their notorious 15 year old presence in hardcore, they've always had kind of an on/off status, mainly due to singer Danny Diablo's busy rap career and other business endeavors. What we can say for sure is that their 1999 Kings at Crime album is considered a 90s classic and has been widely influential for heavy hardcore. I have seen SKARHEAD live in Athens a few years back (on a beautiful night that I got elbowed in the teeth and did a flip landing with my back on the floor), and know that they can truly put on a hell of a show and that they can create that real hardcore mayhem that we all live for.

So in the year 2011 SKARHEAD's back with an unsuspected covers album. They've really made an album of mean, no fronts hardcore music, by covering the pioneers who originally formed the NYHC sound during the golden 86-89 period. We're talking bands like SHEER TERROR, AGNOSTIC FRONT, WARZONE, CRO-MAGS, KILLING TIME etc. And if you know your NYHC, then you probably already know these bands are the real deal; the legends. With this album, SKARHEAD carries on that NYHC legacy by redoing the classics in a very honest and true to the roots way. The parade of infamous hardcore vocalists on the guest vox makes this even more highly recommended.

I also want to say that -as you can understand by listening to the song below - the production sound is also close to NYHC (loud metallic bass, dirty guitar tone, drums with lots of reverb), thus maintaing the the old school feel in all of those songs. I love that they named the album Dreams Don't Die. It's like showing that after all those years and all the hardships, some people still have their hearts set on hardcore. Respect for that! Now go and find Dreams Don't Die and do your NYHC homework!

Dedicated to xMarkMyTurnx for turning me onto this album.