Sick of It All

Four years after eighth studio effort Death To Tyrants, New York hardcore originators Sick Of It All finally get their head-busting chops together for another round of rousing, subtlety upbeat anthems. Packed with a whopping 14 tracks that run the gamut from uncompromising blasts of passion ("Death Or Jail") to grinding chug riffs ("Long As She's Standing") and half-time, chant-heavy, almost poppy tunes such as inspiring rant "Waiting For The Day," Based On A True Story features more highs than a Shanghai opium den. And without the dope-sickness, at that. In fact, seeing as this is the longest stretch SOIA have gone without releasing new material, it proves a quarter-century into their career that maybe taking a bit longer to set your shit straight is a really good thing. This is easily their most cohesive, influential and memorable effort in over a decade, reasserting that SOIA are still the only NYHC band with something interesting to say while still being able to incite a truly venomous circle pit.