Ah, another month, another Hardcore record, and this time it’s the turn of West Springfield, Massachusetts crew Restraining Order.
Locked In Time (Triple B Records) is the long-awaited sophomore follow-up to 2019’s This World Is Too Much with frontman Patrick Cozens quoted in the promotional notes as saying that “Going into this record I decided to take a more present-day approach…The feeling of moving on from the past and looking towards the future…”, the positive vibes certainly bode well for the album to come.
‘Addicted (Reprise)’ starts with some twisted psychedelia Spacemen 3 style before exploding in a manner reminiscent of Italian legends Raw Power on their 1985 Screams From The Gutter album. The production by Will Hirst is excellent, the drums especially have a real snap to them, an invigorating start to the record.
‘Left Unsaid’ has a nineties melodic hardcore vibe which may have been found on those early AFI records before they discovered The Cure; as with the better bands from that scene, there is a breakneck style to the track with nifty .etal soloing along the way that results in a truly blistering sound. ‘Inmates’ at forty-three seconds reminds me of why I fell for hardcore in the first place – punk stripped down to its bare bones, with all the fat trimmed off of it.
‘Should’ve Known’ at just under a minute long recalls Verbal Abuse as covered by Slayer on Undisputed Attitude. Subsequently, both aforementioned tracks give you a straight 1-2 sucker punch to the face. Immense.
‘Misled’ represents a slower change in pace, no less compromising in terms of attitude but a more muscular approach not totally unlike deservedly acclaimed Canadians Fucked Up. ‘Fight Back’ contains shades of the Circle Jerks (especially ‘Murder the Disturbed’ from Wild in the Street) if put through an English eighties Oi! filter, while ‘Another Better Day’ continues the vibe with parts that could almost be sung on the football (soccer to our American cousins) terraces what with its strong anthemic qualities.
‘On the Run’ has a similar spirit to early Slapshot, albeit a little more lighthearted than that band, and breezes along at a sprightly forty-three seconds. ‘Wouldn’t You Agree’ has a ’77 traditional punk by way of The Ramones feel and demonstrates a band unafraid to experiment by embracing strong melodies and hooks, meanwhile ‘Locked In Time’ goes one step further by experimenting with acoustics giving the track a strong Folk influence that in parts cites The Pogues, which is no terrible thing. ‘Breakout’ gets things back on the hardcore track with some amazing performances that are worthy of mentioning in the same breath as Youth of Today, the vocals at times bearing a slight similarity to that of Ray Cappo.
Finally ‘Painted World’ at a whopping 3:41 lengthwise feels like a veritable prog epic when compared to the rest of the album, when in reality its really a pretty nifty New York Hardcore bruiser ala classic Skarhead or even Boston’s Blood For Blood. A joyfully thuggish concluding number.
Locked In Time is a fabulously fun feel-good listen with enough occasional musical diversions to keep you interested. Whether you embrace the harsher elements of the hardcore scene (sonically speaking) like myself, or favour a more melodic approach, you’ll find something here that will appeal to you.
Buy the album here:
8 / 10
REZA MILLS