If I Die Today

Italian hardcore newcomers If I Die Today blend roots and rhythms on their latest release, Postcards From The Abyss. In the region of Piedmont, this Mondovi-based band have risen from humbly recording their first EP two months after their formation to taking the stage with big name punkers Offspring and Taking Back Sunday. "Ships in the Wood" kicks off with angsty speed and contrasting clean/dirty vocals. "The First Storm" and "Gold Crown" are both bright and melodic in tone. The darker tracks have cute, audible accents for cultural flavour, while the bass-heavy "Poison" could power moshpits. Considering their history opening for Canuck act Sum 41 on their stops in Torino and Bologna, If I Die Today may be speaking in code with "Bob Ford Isn't Dead." An instrumental, slow and articulate ends the record with a softness some may find disappointing. It's in this ending that calm is brought to a storm of youth and nascent hardcore that has the potential for professionalism.