ALBUM REVIEW: Total Retaliation – Terror

With a career spanning 16 years, TERROR are very much considered the vanguard of 21st century hardcore. With a consistent streak of delivering albums of white-knuckle intensity and a formidable live reputation to boot, reliability is somewhat second nature to them. Now, on their seventh record, Total Retaliation, the LA wrecking crew are very much hoping this trend continues.

Clocking just shy of half an hour and with the longest song being just over three minutes, just a cursory glance in Total Retaliation‘s direction shows that TERROR aren’t going to pull their punches and once This World Never Wanted Me‘s opening blows hit and the riffs slam, it’s clear that they are going for the knockout punch.

Once the mid-tempo crunch of the opening salvo subsides, the band opt for a shock and awe approach as Mental Demolition kicks things into overdrive with rapid riffing from Martin Stewart and Jordan Posner combine effortlessly with the blunt and hefty vocals from Scott Vogel. It’s a short and snappy burst of musical aggression and it’s bloody lovely.

From there, the band rarely let up on the intensity and it keeps the adrenaline surging. Get Off My Back‘s groove-laden basswork from Chris Linkovich boasts hooks of neck-snapping quality, One More Enemy‘s closing breakdown will translate effortlessly to the live stage and deliver sheer chaos whilst Behind The Bar demonstrates some of Scott Vogel‘s best vocal work on the record as he spits bars with absolute venom. There’s an overwhelming sense of familiarity surrounding the record and whilst musical innovation is practically non-existent here, when the riffs hit this hard, no one is complaining.

That said though, there are sprinklings of fresh ideas, the occasional diversion off the usual well-trodden musical path. Title track Total Retaliation whips up a frenzy, akin to genre heavyweights AGONOSTIC FRONT thanks to the blistering riffing, and the inclusion of a guitar solo in the track’s closing moments is something the band definitely need to incorporate more in future releases but the album’s biggest shock comes in Post Armageddon Interlude. Here, the trademark hardcore is non-existent as a trap beat and hip-hop driven vocals take the stage. It comes completely from left-field, and whilst the aggressive nature of the rap certainly fits in with the general vibe of the record, it can’t help but feel jarring.

TERROR have long been the masters of consistency, in fact, much of their success in their career is down to that. Total Retaliation certainly doesn’t reinvent the band’s sound and those expecting that will certainly be disappointed, but then, were you really expecting it? What Total Retaliation stands as, however, is another solid slab of meaty goodness from one of modern hardcore’s most reliable bands.

Rating: 7/10

Total Retaliation is out now via Nuclear Blast Records (Europe, Pure Noise Records in the rest of the world).

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