REACT! Records: A New Generation Takes Over

React! Records must be one of the top hardcore labels out there. And that's not just because they put out awesome music; it's also a label that has supported hardcore as a positive way of life, bringing good music and strong values to hardcore kids worldwide through its releases.

Each band on React!'s roster displays its own unique style, which is more than we could ask for in today's hardcore scene. The straight edge factor has always been part of React!, but in a positive and all-inclusive way, which is awesome. When it comes down to it, React! has just been putting out records that aim to bring positive change, which is essentially what makes hardcore great in the first place.

I was kind of surprised to learn that React! main man Aram Arslanian (Champion, the First Step, Betrayed) is passing the label over to new people. Even though the label will continue in the hands of new people who live and breathe hardcore, it's still something I would not expect. I guess that all good things make their full circle and then it's time to move on. Read below to find out Aram's farewell on the React! website...

COMMON CAUSE - S / T EP (React! Records)

What we have here is a straight edge hardcore record that makes me wanna wear some athletic gear and go straight for a run, lift something heavy or just room-mosh with this music on full volume!

I know that React! Records puts out some of the best stuff in positive / oldschool hardcore, and I definitely wasn't disappointed with Common Cause's new ep. I first heard this band on the Chain of Strength tribute ep (an awesome comp by the way) with their cover of "Those Days", also included on this ep.

These guys continue the tradition of the few remaining purely old school straight edge bands out there. The sound, the ethics and even the aesthetics all belong in the  old school SXE tradition, and this is something I couldn't be more happy about. No matter how much hardcore music progresses, it is important to save and persevere the sound of crucial hardcore bands like the aforementioned Chain of Strength, Insted, Youth of Today, etc. Being a new band, Common Cause have obviously updated their sound with a good production and a heavier edge to their sound, but the outcome remains totally old school.

The lyrics are about values and ethics like understanding and compassion. This may sound weird to some hardcore kids but believe it or not, hardcore also has its compassionate, thought provoking side. I wish there were more hardcore bands singing about this stuff nowadays, with no hard attitudes, violent and self-destructive messages etc. Hardcore stands outside from metal and punk not so much because of the sound, but because of the message of unity and integrity.

UPs: Good production, awesome self-righteous hardcore message, an evident straight edge identity, fast paces & speedy guitars, Chain of Strength cover. 

DOWNs: Could do with more songs (a full album), and would like a bit of a wider vocal range.

THE LOWDOWN: 6 songs of old school straight edge hardcore with a newer edge, filled with positive hardcore messages.

REMISSION - Winds of Promise EP Review

There are times that every music critic has to pause and listen harder to what they have in front of them. No matter how much music you have heard, there are always records that will make it hard for you to explain the feelings you get when you listen to them. In most cases, these records are... very good. And in those said rare cases, the best way to review them is to take the simple route and and just say a few honest things about them.

Winds of Promise by Remission is such a record. It is an exceptional, against the grain hardcore EP made by a Chilean band, which traveled the world and reached TYS in Greece by way of US label React! Records.

The first thing I thought of when I played this record was that it had an early/mid 90s vibe, and especially from the period when hardcore was drifting from the youth crew and old school hc standards, and was experimenting with different, more progressive sounds (bands like early Shelter, Mouthpiece etc). And even though Remission or even myself were not around in the hardcore scene in the early/mid 90s, we surely love that period and have a special place in our hearts for it. In fact, I can just listen to this music and let myself travel in times when hardcore was more sincere, more emotional and more thought-provoking. In times when the word 'integrity' actually had a meaning.

This 3-song EP cannot be classified musically, because all three songs are different. I don't know how, but these kids manage to combine a lot of different musical styles and still pull it off with the consistency level. I guess everything is possible when you know what you're doing. There are nice melodic (yet powerful) vocals which balance between hardcore and rock. There is a strong, groovy rhythm section with a nice, thick bass sound delivering some crucial licks inbetween the notes. The guitars are melodic and not fully distorted (I'd say a 7/10 on the distortion scale!) and create room for some extra special melodic hc guitar noodling!

This is just what I needed to hear this summer. Because not every night is a partymosh night, I want to have an album like this in my record collection for when I want to think, do some soul searching  and throw an Xd fist in to the night sky!

http://remissionhc.bandcamp.com/album/winds-of-promise

www.itstimetoreact.com

p.s. Look for Remission's new split EP with Police & Thieves!