Japan's heavyweight kings Loyal to the Grave have been around in 1998 and actively releasing albums and EPs since 2002. They have a decent name for themselves, certainly in their own country, but I rarely hear many talk about them in the US. Hopefully Against All Odds and it being released by Eulogy Recordings will change that.
To the point, this album is heavy. Nothing about it is reinventing the wheel and a lot of it is very cliche in the world of hardcore. That sounds like I'm bashing it, but you know what, I LOVE every little cliche they follow. Serious emphasis on love.
With good hardcore, I don't look for strong innovation. I look for energy, heaviness, good songwriting, and memorable riffs. Loyal to the Grave has it all on here. Start to finish, the album is just a mean release of energy. It hold true to "real" hardcore while still mixing in some newer hardcore and metalcore elements. Mostly, I hear late 90s early 00s in their sound. The vocalist often reminds of Another Victim's singer.
Loyal to the Grave is a band band I mostly slept on over the years. Now with Against All Odds, they have me regretting that decision. For fans of straight up, no frills, mean hardcore, I recommend you get familiar with these guys.
Staff Rating
4.25/5
User Rating
0/5
