Reaching Forward

At first glance this looks like your typical straightedge offering, packed with photos of leaping guitar players, Xed hands and pumping fists, all typical of a circa-1989 Revelation release. And while this Dutch quintet is obviously taking their cues from that era, the important thing here is that they do it well. The songs have an urgent energy that fans of '80s hardcore will appreciate. They've obviously been listening to a lot of old Agnostic Front, as the singer's voice has a snarling Roger Miret-edge to it and they mix in enough chugging guitars and chanting sing-alongs to keep the mosh pit residents happy. The 14 tracks clock in at a sparse 19 minutes, so there isn't a lot of room on here for introspection, as it's all about the speed.