Sick Of It All haven’t released anything new since 2011. Personally, it’s hard to buy into what is a form of hardcore which is wholly macho in its delivery, with shout-alongs and breakdowns present in pretty much every song. Yet, ‘Last Act of Defiance’ is a record which is absorbing, and the energy that the NYC hardcore band produce through every strand of their song-writing is reason enough to listen to this, if you can look past the unrelenting, machismo-orientated nature of it.
There’s no messing about here. No television or film clips to start the album; ‘intro’ tracks; or anything of that sort. The 28 year-strong hardcore stalwarts know how to get to business, and they do just that. ‘Sound The Alarm’ kicks everything off exactly how you’d expect. Lyrically, it’s a political call to arms – “Stand up now, Sound the alarm” is pretty much the gist of the first track – it’s a thunderous, satisfying introduction though.
It doesn’t take Sick of It All long to get going, but they first hit their stride properly on ‘Road Less Travelled’. The bass is intense, grunting throughout and providing the backbone of what is a really strong rhythm. Lou Koller’s vocals rise above that solid bass-line to deliver the most obvious highlight on the album. Still, there are fourteen tracks here and none of them even hint at verging over three minutes. That’s a good thing. The hardcore veterans work best when they’re delivering tracks which are short, fast and loud.
There are positives to be found on every track in the first half of ‘Last Act’, whether its the time-changes on ‘Part of History’, the bass-line on ‘Losing War’ or the infectious, almost tangible aggression of ‘Never Back Down’. The relentless tempo is enjoyable but it does threaten to become tiring. It’s less than 90 seconds long but ‘Act Your Rage’ manages to break things up in the same way an acoustic track would, thrashing out another high-point of the album.
The last five tracks don’t let up. ‘Beltway Getaway’ is more positive sounding while still retaining that energy, just with more gang vocals. At this point though, everything seems to be blending into a loud, angry mess. It’s a problem as the first half of the album proved to be an absorbing burst of energy, and while it’s not too different to anything else that Sick of it All have released, there are moments of greatness to be found. There’s little variation here, that’s all.
Ending a record like ‘Last Act of Defiance’ is a difficult task then, as it unfortunately drags on even though the album lasts thirty minutes. The last track is ‘DNC’ or ‘Do Not Comply’, and ends with the trite phrase, “liberty or death”, which really does sum up this record. The lyricism is contrived right to the end but there are moments which are rapturous and worth visiting. The tone of Sick Of It All’s latest record may be wearing to some, but those who want to hear thirty minutes of storming hardcore – covering a large if familiar scope – will be satisfied.
SAMARTH KANAL