When Brooklyn hardcore crew Biohazard released new single “Forsaken” in June – their first in thirteen years, and their first with the band’s original line-up since 2012 – it felt like being on the receiving end of a sweetly delivered but completely warning-free uppercut from an old friend. From bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld‘s no-nonsense “Let’s fucking go!” to the song’s monstrous groove and welcomingly familiar violent energy, it was made extremely clear extremely quickly that Biohazard was well and truly back in business.
Photo credit: Istvan Bruggen
Two years shy of their fortieth(!) anniversary, Biohazard are showing all the restraint of overexcited teenagers, releasing no fewer than three more singles before tenth full-length studio release Divided We Fall (BLKIIBLK) even hits the shelves. “Fuck the System” came next, a self-explanatory call to arms that opens the album in vintage style. “Eyes on Six” followed in August, an instant classic if ever there was one, with a chorus that defies any form of resistance and answers the question of what if Slayer went Rap/Hardcore. Then, just when it looked like they were giving you a breather, September saw the release of “Death of Me” with its slow, pulverizing grind and a borderline feral vocal performance from guitarist/frontman Billy Graziadei.
With every song clocking in around the three-minute mark there’s simply no room for fat. The lean and thrashy “Word to the Wise” shows its desperation to be let off the leash before going straight for the throat, while the muscular “The Fight to be Free” hints at prime Hatebreed, the song strengthened further with gang vocal “woah-ohs.” Cuts like “Tear Down the Walls” and “I Will Overcome” are aggressive and belligerent messages of empowerment, while “War Inside Me” is simply not to be fucked with, the track somehow finding the time for an all too short bluesy guitar solo from Bobby Hambel.
“S.I.T.F.O.A.” (Straight in the Face of Adversity) leans towards the band’s Rap tendencies, drummer Danny Schuler once again leading from the back, while the closing cut “Warriors” delivers a brutal but melodic punch to finish.
Incorporating everything that made the band so popular back in the day, Biohazard in 2025 sounds like the perfect extension of their early nineties existence. The riffs hit hard with brief and subtle nods to classics like “Wrong Side of the Tracks” and “Tales From the Hardside,” as well as occasionally channelling the likes of Suicidal Tendencies, and fellow New Yorkers Agnostic Front and Merauder.
As well as everyone involved being absolutely on top of their game, the polished and powerful production job from Matt Hyde (Deftones, Slayer, Hatebreed) resonates with a familiar, punchy nineties vibe, meaning the only obvious downside to Divided We Fall is that it took so damn long to materialise. A prime example of all good things coming to those who wait.
Buy the album here:
https://ffm.to/biohazard_dwf
9 / 10
GARY ALCOCK
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