BLACK KNIVES - "The Rise" EP Review (Uselss Pride Distribution)

I'll be totally honest with you; judging by the packaging of this release, I was expecting something a little more polished, along the lines of melodic metalcore or so... but NO! Black Knives play brutal hardcore the old school way, and that means with killer metallic riffs, fucking mean breakdowns and lots of gang vocals.

These French guys know for sure how to cause some heavy damage. The 4 songs of this CD are nothing but a heavy dose of in-your-face brutal hardcore. Sure, the metal elements are many: not only in the Slayeric/French beatdown elements that are always present, but also in some Obituary-style grooves and even some pseudo-black metal in some parts. However, this band knows how to mix all the elements well and create a solid outcome that can only  be labeled as... h a r d c o r e  b r u t a l i t y.

What I liked a lot about this ep (apart from the Slayeric beatdown parts, of course!) is the clever use of vocals all around. There is a good mix of various vocal styles, but mind you NO clean vocals. There are many spoken/rapped parts  along the heavy breakdowns in classic heavy hardcore style (think Kickback!), and the super huge gang vocals give the whole record an extra boost of strength. And that's surely an extra point for Black Knives, because I just hate it when bands get lazy in the studio and don't lay down those mean backing vox!!!

All in all, this is an awesome release by a band that deserves to get recognized in the hardcore scene. They give off lots of brutality, mosh and hateful urban attitude, so what more could I ask from a heavy hardcore band? Check these French guys out NOW!

www.facebook.com/blackknivesofficial

Also check the video for one of the songs from The Rise, entitled "A Big Part".