{"id":71626,"date":"2018-10-31T15:00:25","date_gmt":"2018-10-31T15:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/?p=71626"},"modified":"2018-10-30T20:33:41","modified_gmt":"2018-10-30T20:33:41","slug":"review-sick-of-it-all-wake-the-sleeping-dragon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-sick-of-it-all-wake-the-sleeping-dragon\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Sick Of It All – Wake The Sleeping Dragon!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Sick Of It All<\/strong> appeared on the New York hardcore scene way back in 1986, built themselves a following and they\u2019re still going strong. Having celebrated their 30th anniversary with 2016’s\u00a0\u2018When The Smoke Clears<\/em>\u2019 EP, twelveth full-length, \u2018Wake the Sleeping Dragon!\u2019 <\/em>shows no sign of them slowing down.<\/p>\n

With a line-up that\u2019s been stable since 1992 and a\u00a0definitive style, songwriters Lou Koller (vocals) and Pete Koller (lead guitar) have kept things fresh by working closely with producer \u2018The\u2019 Jerry Farley, aiming for a more melodic sound. But don\u2019t worry, they haven’t suddenly morphed into New Found Glory, (although the facile vocal on \u20182+2<\/em>\u2019 sounds like parody project International Superheroes of Hardcore) as the record\u2019s tone is absolutely ferocious. Partly due to Tue Madsen\u2019s mix, partly because with 17 songs crammed into the 33-minute run-time nothing sticks around too long or, more importantly, derails the express train.<\/p>\n

Every song is made up of hardcore punk riffing with a generous helping of gang vocals, but these elements are juggled in different ways to hold your attention. \u2018To The Wolves<\/em>\u2019 sees the band at their most vicious. At the other end of the spectrum, \u2018Bull\u2019s Anthem<\/em>\u2019 is a punky sing-along featuring guest vocals byRise Against’s Tim McIlrath.<\/p>\n