Brutal, blunt, brilliant. In a world of skewed social standards, the organised chaos of hardcore has never felt so relevant. Punk legends Raised Fist have once again turned their hands to their own brand of punk that exemplifies vitriol at its catchiest and imitable. Spitting venom and face-melting riffs in every direction, ‘From The North’ breaks 2015 wide open and vows to seek revenge for last year’s wrongdoings.
Owing their existence to the lyrics of Rage Against The Machine, Raised Fist have consistently translated the aggression of their peers and their 21-year experience into some of the catchiest punk going. The Swedish five-piece has matured with age in all the best ways, compressing the relentless energy and rage of all their previous releases into their sixth studio offering ‘From The North’. There’s no stopping hardcore, at least, as long as these guys have any say in it.
“Let it be said, they should be fucking dead”, screeches vocalist Alexander Hagman, hurling lucid threats of “time is running out for you, my friend” to demonstrate the most menacing lyrical content to storm the hardcore scene in recent years. The record’s defining line “circling like fucking maniacs” from ‘Depression’ will doubtlessly blow apart any venue on their upcoming European tour. Accomplishing the feat of showcasing each band member in turn to which hardcore should aspire, the beautifully chaotic ‘Gates’ allows Modin’s relentless drums to translate a livid frustration rivalled only by Tikkanen and Holmgren’s tricksy leading lines throughout.
Anthemic album-stealer ‘We Will Live Forever’ takes matters into its own hands, combining seemingly effortless defiance with raucous, roof-raising riffs. The supercharged vocals of ‘Flow’ play a timeless game of cat and mouse with the earth-shattering opening line of ‘Man On Earth’, completing an 11-track battle cry for the perpetually downtrodden.
Cementing their message that “we still don’t give a fuck about the gig you’re playing”, ‘From The North’ raises both fists and yells against the social state, making waves hardcore has forgotten it was capable of. Raised Fist have raised the bar incomprehensibly high for 2015 – your move, Stick To Your Guns.
4.5/5
’From The North’ by Raised Fist is released on 19th January on Epitaph Records.
Raised Fist links: Official Website|Facebook|Twitter
Words by Ali Cooper (@AliZombie_)
