Album Spotlight: Circle Of Blood by Wrong Answer
When I say the words “naughty youth crew” you probably think 1 of 2 things, either you think “oh hell yeah” or “what the fuck is a naughty youth crew”. If you fall into that latter category let me educate you. Wrong Answer was a band hailing from Philly, they lasted for about 8 years and broke up before releasing a full length, leaving this compilation as a parting gift. I don’t know how, but they’ve maintained a huge following 10+ years after breaking up. Well, actually, I do know how. The songs bang hard as fuck. They’re riffy, loud, fast, and punk. That last bullet is what I think hardcore has been missing as of late. So with any further ado let’s bust it into this spotlight.
The record starts with a Berserk sample on The World Is Empty for all the anime fans out there. It’s followed up with a riff that is just fuckin’ godly. The drums come in and it’s just made for swinging, their vocalist Justin screams “bust it” to go into a two step part and it’s one of my favorite mosh callouts ever. It speeds up before throwing you into a fast verse with a new riff, the lyrics are about isolation and the instrumentation strikes a perfect balance with somewhat metallic leads and that punk attitude. The song comes to a slowdown before the big two step part comes in with the main riff and it’s perfect for sing alongs with gang vocals. There’s a part on the ride bell which stops the two step part and gives the track some groove. It’s a great opener and an anthem to sing to.
Citizen Of Hell is next in the order and it has a cool moshy intro. It switches to a fast part, which has some hits on the hats to kinda have this stop and start feeling without sacrificing the pace. There’s gang vocals of “endless nightmare” for the first 2 stutter parts, but the third one transitions nice into a two step part with the callout “fucking bust it bitch” with each syllable coming on crash hits. Then the mosh part comes in slow on the hats but still fast on the guitars. Which if you read my Les 150 Passions spotlight you know I love. The hats are traded for hits on the toms and snare which finishes the song.
Factorum kicks off fast and even features some blast beats in super short doses. Then a side to side part occurs before the breakdown finishes it off.
The next song Chance kicks off with a side to side before stopping and going into the verse. Lyrically it’s about not defying the odds and wanting a chance to prove yourself. The first verses are filled with two step parts galore, but the song takes a turn when the intro side to side riff comes back the song stops and the mosh part kicks in. The vocals come back in with the drums switching to a 2 step part which ends the song.
Struggler kicks off their next EP in this comp with a sample, a super punk intro, and a fast part. There’s a cool slow down part when Justin says “it’s like I shouldn’t exist” before the fast part kicks in with screeching leads before it’s interrupted by a sample which transitions into a breakdown. This is as punk of a breakdown you can get and then it goes into the two step part seamlessly before going back into the breakdown and it rips so hard. The samples persists over the breakdown, with the drums slowly getting heavier, then the song ends.
The Tombs follows that masterclass up with a fast part and some leads which took a step up since chance. The first mosh part is played with fast ride bell which gives lots of groove to the song. Then bass comes in and leads the side to side part with a sample over the side to side before the breakdown comes in super slow. The breakdown riff is slow too so when the drums switch to the toms it sounds less like a side to side and more thick if that makes sense. Anyways that breakdown ends the track.
Rip starts with a sample, and a really good fill. The fast part kicks in after said fill for about 20 seconds and then the two step part comes in on the crash followed by the toms. The two step part on the toms sounds so badass, anyways it speeds up and ends the track.
Reprobate starts with another sample but instead of a fast part it’s a snare roll accented by the crash for the first few lines and then it goes into a two step part which is a chefs kiss. Then a fast riff kicks off a side to side and then a fast part. The riffs show more diverse influences compared to the first few tracks. Another side to side part occurs with a super fucking tasty riff into a mosh part and then a two step part which sounds super thick and feels like you’re speeding down a highway at 120 mph. Some samples play over the two step part and the song ends.
Next up on the tracklist is Open Fire/The Wrong Way and it just throws you into a fast part like you got sucker punched and need to fight only furthered when Justin screams “take him the fuck out” followed by a sample. The side to side comes in after the sample, then a mosh part fit for picking up change just pounds you. Then the verse comes in over a two step part, the gang vocals are tight, and the little shifts in drumming rip as hard as SpongeBob’s pants. Then the pile on just hits like crack with the lyrics “this world ain't nothing but a piece of shit/live breathe fuck fail cease to exist/they say there's a price to be paid/but until that day i keep pushing on the wrong way” before exploding into a heavy mosh part and two step part to end the track.
Cross A Black Cats Path has to live up to that and it starts with a sample and just quick drums before the full fast part throws you into the flames. A part with just guitar signals the next verse. After that verse there’s a great two step part on the toms before the vocals come in for the two step part (which is now played on the hats) as well.
The Nightmare Continues, well, continues the record into the next track with just guitar and nothing else. The drums come in and it’s pretty moshy but you can feel it’s just building to something. You’re proven right when there’s just one single snare hit that kicks off the fast part like an NFL game. Some gang vocals end the first verse and a snare roll transports you into the second one. After the gang vocals on the second one a really unique drum part just guides you into the breakdown. It’s ok but Wrong Answer is capable of way better that we saw earlier in the record, anyways the track ends on that note and we’re into the next one.
The song titled No End In Sight is ironically the penultimate track and it begins on a pretty ok note. But it quickly shifts into high gear with the fast part, bringing you back to that speeding feeling shown on tracks like Reprobate. This song starts with slightly more melody than shown in previous songs, but it still retains that punk attitude and the gang vocals, even adding in a solo. But then there’s a shockingly evil sounding pile on part with the lyrics “haunted by demons no matter what path i choose
stuck in the past i guess it's no fucking use/can't you fucking see you're torturing someone who has so little to lose/i hope someday you'll pay with your blood for all your fucking abuse” before the callout of, and I’m spelling this exactly how their bandcamp does “fuck youuuuu” throws you into the two step part. The riff for the two step part is absolutely nasty and pays off the first 2 minutes of build I wasn’t keen on. Toms and a double kick coupled by a more metallic riff kinda bring a spice to this song and then it goes back into the 2 step part, it grooves for a second on the ride bell and then ends the track.
A sample begins our final track titled The Antoinette, then a fast part ensues with some rolls on the toms in between toms which sounds sick. The lyrics are super dark touching on subjects of suicide which I’ll get to, but I feel the placement of it being last on this compilation of their discography is somewhat intentional. In a way, it kind of symbolizes the end of the band. The pile on’s lyrics are dark with the lines “so i caress the rope that's wrapped around my neck/as my body hangs over the fucking abyss/cause if that rope should snap, i know what happens next/i'm gonna fall forever” before going into a great two step part, slowly fading out with a sample. Ending the record just like how it started.
Comments
Post a Comment