Straight out of da ghetto of Loughborough (haha) comes one of the best melodic hardcore bands I've heard in a while. Hold on to your horses ladies and gentlemen, thats right, the self-proclaimed "sonic dual guitar blast beat shred attack" have released their very first EP. You may have heard of Back on the Streets for two reasons. One is that it is named after, one of the band's largest influences, 88 Finger Louie's album Back on the Streets. You may have also heard of them through a certain user on here called Joe (Arucard) who does guitar and vocals. The band have only been together since last August but have evolved incredibly to get to this stage. Mixing many different bands in the genre (Break the Silence, Freaks Union, 88 Finger Louie) and out the genre (Iron Maiden, Avenged Sevenfold).
Back on the Streets certainly deliver what their influences suggest. Catchy riffs, cheesy shred solos, pounding drums and the kind of music that just makes you want to jump out of your chair and dance. The guitar work on this album is ace and is incredible at times. The bass is really, nothing special anywhere on this album but hey it works! The drums are simple but is really effective and suits the music brilliantly. I am not much of a fan of Joe's vocals or the lyrics but maybe thats just me. For a home recording it is impressive but, of course, is not up to recording studio standards and because of this quality the vocals seem to lack at times. Overall, this is short even for an EP and if a couple of more quality songs would be added would become a much better effort.
The EP starts off with
No Escape which is a typical Back on the Streets track (haha, like I know). This is one of the songs which shows how catchy Back on the Streets can be. The guitars and drums are great in this track and work really well together. Then its time for
Speak with the Dead, the first part of Hellsing. Worst song on this EP? I think so. Don't get me wrong, this is a good track, its just no where near as good as any of the other tracks on this EP. However, do not panic because part 2 of Hellsing,
Blood Brothers, is ace. Not quite as catchy as No Escape but a good song none the less. The solo in this song makes me cream my pants, its so cheesy and I love it.
Through You is an average track which never really stuck out for me. Joes vocals are pretty annoying at the beginning but they get far better when you get in to it. I like the whole simple verse thingies even if the guitar tone is horrible during that bit. However, the song is worth listening to just for the breakdown because that breakdown is freakin' hawt.
My conclusion? It is a great EP but has its flaws and is far too short. I would still recommend it to any melodic hardcore fan. If you are wanting to check out this band then check out their myspace at http://www.myspace.com/backonthestreets. Also, if you are after the album then, unfortunately, this won't be in your local record store but ask Joe nicely and/or perform oral pleasure on him and he may send you this album.
