Living Proof

Thick As Blood is a Miami based Hardcore Metal act that has recently signed to Rise Records and recorded their debut for the label titled Living Proof. The bands style harkens back to the earlier days of the resurgence of the Hardcore scene with slow crushing flows of grinding metal and impressive vocals that range from bar chant to the more aggressive style familiar with hardcore bands the world over. Fans of the genre will more then likely not find any fault in the bands outfit approach.

As with most hardcore albums that I come across there was no lyric source to draw upon for guidance, but that’s okay because Thick As Blood’s vocal style is clean enough that you can grasp the lyrical. Hardcore is, in essence, an angry genre. You do have your more spiritual hardcore acts out there that like to throw a positive spin on the genre and then you have the weirdo punk hardcore acts that like to knock sense out of the equation. Thick As Blood’s album is lyrically repetitive, seeming almost as if their just playing up to their demographic. Lots of songs about being singled out and alienated by “Them” and how you should stand up and be counted amongst those on the outskirts of a society that has rejected you and that the band has your back as the voice of the voiceless. It’s mostly an angst and angry driven album. As a 35 year old that just didn’t resonate with me that well. I understand it, I know that way back then this is exactly what drew me to hardcore music, but for me it just seems a bit stagnate by now, but every generation needs a voice so how you judge the albums lyrical is of course up to you.

So on a whole I really dug the execution of this album. It’s nostalgic but forward moving as far as the bands sound goes, though honestly not by too much. As a complete outfit the band has the experience and skill to offer up a very solid product that comes out of the studio sounding well produced and ready to roll. Well worth checking out but as always final judgment is yours. Enjoy.