Thick As Blood - Living Proof
This is the third offering from Florida's own Thick As Blood - no nonsense beatdown hardcore complete with metallic riffs and produced by Nick Jett, better known as drummer for Terror. It's eleven tracks of hard hitting old school, in the tradition of Agnostic Front, Cro Mags et al, but tinged with hints of more recent Raised Fist at times.
In truth, Thick As Blood aren't going to win any awards for originality with any of Living Proof - and the album doesn't instantly hit you with the kind of idiosyncrasy that you tend to need when you're listening to a band who are happy with the well trodden path. But if the description 'solid' was to be looked up in the metaphorical musical dictionary, you might well see the album cover. First up, the production is flawless - the songs are allowed to breathe, the relentlessness is barely noticeable because it is the ideal marriage of outspoken aggression and understatement. The breakdowns are like machine guns fired through the proverbial feathered pillow.
At it's best, perhaps with Diente Por Diente, Living Proof approaches would must be a heavy thrash influence - think Lionheart meets Annihilator and I don't think you're too far from the mark. Lyrically it isn't going to speak to you like a brief flick through Nietzche's treatise on Greek Tragedy, but that hardly seems the point. The Effort they are not - hooks are aplenty though - you will remember what to scream along should you be going to watch this lot of tour.
Life changing it isn't and I can't see this challenging too many writers for their top albums of 2012 slots - but it is such a solid peace of metallic, beatdown hardcore that it is going to delight those who are addicted to the genre. As is already very clear from the rest of this review - you will be treating yourself to a very, very solid record. No other way to describe it.