Review Summary: I've got a thirst to quench, and nothing but a dime.
Personal War is, at its core, a very simple album. That’s far from a negative; hell, it’s probably a necessity for a punk band when your album barely clocks over fifteen minutes. If anything, the stripped down, no-bullshit hand being played by Birds In Row works out heavily in their favor. “Torches” is a great example of this, kicking off with a combo of blaring guitar riffs and fast-paced, unrelenting drums, but gradually slowing to a crawl without losing any of its intensity. “O’dear” strives for a slightly more lethargic path, contrasting between more melodic instrumental work and raucous, strident vocals. Neither track makes it past three minutes, but the amount of pure, unbridled vitality and power within each song is staggering. “Worried” ends up sounding like a much softer version of a mid-tempo Converge track, with the brooding, austere guitarwork and secluded clean singing towards the end it standing out as one of the darkest, most atmospheric segments of the album as a whole.
But more than that, there’s a very strong sense of cohesion and focus flowing through Personal War. The music itself feels incredibly wild and chaotic, but not out of neglect or a lack of purpose. In fact, it seems far more likely that the barrage of messiness and supposed disorganization is done intentionally. Ultimately, Personal War is a short but sweet display of hardcore punk ferocity, and a solid display of Birds In Row’s musicianship. It’s an unrefined, rough-hewn brick of energy that is fully aware of what it is, and works out completely fine that way.
i didn't run out of references, i just didn't feel like i could properly work one in here. what was i supposed to say? "I'm not trying to honor you, I'm trying to get you to run my kingdom while I eat, drink, and whore my way into an early grave"?
Nice work man, the little change made it much better imo. Still haven't gotten around to hearing this, but jammed their lp yesterday in anticipation m/
Driving home from work in the pitch black at 6:00 is a fucking bitch and a half. And then I feel sleepy and dog tired by 8:30. Winter nights are bullshit.
"i didn't run out of references, i just didn't feel like i could properly work one in here. what was i supposed to say? "I'm not trying to honor you, I'm trying to get you to run my kingdom while I eat, drink, and whore my way into an early grave"?"
