According to the band’s own myspace page, “The Bright Side is a story of birth and death and everything in between. Recorded in March at Reading Room Studios in Perth, it is an honest and passionate statement that was written to remember, to inspire and to never forget. In a scene flooded with bands that choose to focus on anger and apathy, Break Even separate themselves from the pack by encouraging the listener to find the bright side in everything, whether it be in life, in dreams, or in loss. Armed with a message, and a drive stronger than ever before.”
The reason I’ve copied that word-for-word is because it’s actually spot on. I can’t claim to be a hardcore nerd and I can’t even say I enjoy that many bands in the genre, but Break Even have created a superb album with ‘The Bright Side’. While I tend to enjoy the faster bands in the scene, this lot mix things up well – the music is hard and heavy but the message is positive and the juxtaposition works brilliantly.
It’s a record inspired by the suicide of the band’s former guitarist and it’s clearly ignited a passion and an energy inside them. ‘Run For Your Life’ and ‘Dreamer’ are both fantastic songs that mix melody with some really aggressive music. ‘Trouble Maker’ does the same as the band shout and scream their way through the song, yet still manage to create a strong sense of melody. There’s a real Defeater vibe to some of this record and I think fans of that kind of ‘slow-burn’ hardcore will really love this band.
The band hit the Uk with Deez Nuts very soon – don’t miss out.