ALBUM REVIEW: Trapped – The Amsterdam Red Light District
French melodic hardcore outfit THE AMSTERDAM RED LIGHT DISTRICT, a.k.a. TARLD are back with their second full-length album Trapped, which ups the ante on their defiant brand of punk rock with improved production and songwriting.
The Lyon-based four-piece waste no time on this sophomore effort, kicking straight into the anthemic Threatened Generation, a blistering attack on the generations that have made the lives of today’s youth so difficult. Gang vocals and fast and dirty riffs abound here, making for an energetic opener that communicates exactly what TARLD are trying to do with this record. This opener leads nicely into Good Intentions, which features guest vocals from STRAY FROM THE PATH’s Drew York. York’s yelps add more energy to the track, inviting comparisons to the Long Island hardcore band’s recent work. The next single Happy Ending dials up the melody, with an infectious chorus that sees the vocalist Elio Sxone explore his range with layered vocals incorporating furious screams and solid cleans.
Born To Be Great is a straightforward hardcore jam featuring the amusingly-named Mat Bastard from fellow French band SKIP THE USE. Not So Innocent sees Maxime Comby experiment with some melodic lead-guitar lines that add some nice texture to the track. Freedom Is A Movement brings back the gang vocals for an utterly thrilling climax that blows away any fatigue that may have been building up over the last few tracks.
The title track comes next, opening with some of the coolest lyrics on the record which are sure to give way to some impassioned sing-alongs in the live setting (“Please play nice with my soul when I’m out of my control / I’m trapped in my head!”). Sxone embraces a more traditional rock vocal style here, harkening back to one of the band’s key influences in REFUSED. The intensity is maintained on the penultimate track Fair Weather Friend, a song loaded with all of the anger and vitriol that the title suggests. Lost friendships and betrayals are well-trodden territory in the hardcore scene, but due to the wider scope of the rest of the record, this moment of personal anguish plays well as a thematic change of pace. The repeated chants of “save your breath” are killer, working in tandem with the jagged riffs and crushing rhythm section to great effect.
The cathartic closer No Place Like Home brings things to an impressive finish with one of the best choruses the band has produced, sending the album off on a poignant note. With a softer outro, it provides a fitting coda to the 37 minutes of dynamic hardcore that precedes it.
While this record is unlikely to change many lives, what we have here are ten unapologetically enjoyable hardcore tracks, delivered with sincerity and passion. There is a lack of variety on the record – quieter moments are few and far between, despite TARLD having the songwriting chops to pull them off. However, you can’t deny the quality of the songs on offer. Although things get samey towards the latter part of the LP, there is plenty to enjoy for fans of bands like STRAY FROM THE PATH and FEVER 333. If you want punchy hardcore with some catchy choruses, you should definitely pay a visit to THE AMSTERDAM RED LIGHT DISTRICT.
Rating: 7/10
Trapped is set for release on May 20th via Blood Blast Distribution.
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