Uphill Battle
S/T
2002 Relapse Records
by Nathan Pearce
Is it just me or is the grind/hardcore genre pumping out some of the fiercest stuff this side of the origination of either genre? Much like the leaders in this genre, Converge, Uphill Battle pummels forth riffs with the subtlety of ripping someones face off with a wooden spoon. By the way, one of the more subtle tracks on this disc is Ripped Off Face. No . . . wait. . . I was wrong. There isnt a subtle track to be found.
Uphill Battle can truly cause some damage to the unsuspecting listener. Adi (guitar and main vocals) screams with a hoarse fervor unlike anybody I can think of. Danny (drums and vocals) will blast your ass with his manic pummeling. The guitar riffs on this disc are truly top notch. Combining the best of grind, hardcore, and thrash, Uphill Battle creates exactly nine songs in less than twenty-nine minutes. There is no fluff, no filler, and certainly no room to breathe.
For those accustomed to this genre, please add this to your repertoire. For those new to this genre, approach this release like a squirrel stocking a grizzly bear. What do I mean by that? I have no idea, but if a squirrel had half the balls and aggression of the sounds coming from Uphill Battles self-titled debut . . . grizzly bears be forewarned!
9/10
www.relapse.com
S/T
2002 Relapse Records
by Nathan Pearce
Is it just me or is the grind/hardcore genre pumping out some of the fiercest stuff this side of the origination of either genre? Much like the leaders in this genre, Converge, Uphill Battle pummels forth riffs with the subtlety of ripping someones face off with a wooden spoon. By the way, one of the more subtle tracks on this disc is Ripped Off Face. No . . . wait. . . I was wrong. There isnt a subtle track to be found.
Uphill Battle can truly cause some damage to the unsuspecting listener. Adi (guitar and main vocals) screams with a hoarse fervor unlike anybody I can think of. Danny (drums and vocals) will blast your ass with his manic pummeling. The guitar riffs on this disc are truly top notch. Combining the best of grind, hardcore, and thrash, Uphill Battle creates exactly nine songs in less than twenty-nine minutes. There is no fluff, no filler, and certainly no room to breathe.
For those accustomed to this genre, please add this to your repertoire. For those new to this genre, approach this release like a squirrel stocking a grizzly bear. What do I mean by that? I have no idea, but if a squirrel had half the balls and aggression of the sounds coming from Uphill Battles self-titled debut . . . grizzly bears be forewarned!
9/10
www.relapse.com
