Knock Em Dead - Endless Struggle
Rating
RIYL
Thick As BloodShattered Realm
Endwell
The Acacia Strain
Release Date
02/02/2010
Label
Eulogy RecordingsTracklist
1. Killing Hope2. Endless Struggle
3. Never Forget
4. War Within
5. Anger
6. The Power Of Pushing Back
7. Pain
8. New World
9. Alone
10. Unbroken Man
11. Realization
12. Welcome To My World
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Picture a violent head-on collision between Dade county bruisers Thick As Blood and The Dead Walk era Acacia Strain and you’ll have an idea of what Knock ’Em Dead’s bestial full-length Endless Struggle sounds like. It is an absolutely delightful beat-down, full of crushing down-tuned riffing, punchy drumming, and powerful vocals. This album is downright elephantine; the songs have that considerable heaviness unique to this kind of hardcore, where just listening makes you feel as if you’re being run over by a tank.
The record begins with an introduction that seems to be building toward aural mayhem before the band pulls an about-face and reigns in the galloping in favor of the mid-paced bludgeoning that comprises most of “Killing Hope.” The song is not without variety, however, as the band throws in a few metallic flourishes on the guitar and pedals, and they do a good job of mixing in a few tempo shifts to make the all-important gang vocals that much more potent. This is a formula that the band tends to follow throughout the rest of the album, staying largely in the realm of brute force pummeling, with vocalist Hamlet Garcia doing his best Vincent Bennett tribute over the top of the proceedings but allowing for the occasional echoes of more metallic influences to creep into the songs for a bit of a change of pace. Knock ’Em Dead is an armor-plated colossus intent on total destruction, albeit a more deliberate, pavement-pounding kind of demolition.
Is Endless Struggle the most original thing you’ve ever heard? No, but it is still a resounding success for the Miami boys. Uncompromising, heavy, passionate—this is everything you could ask for from a hardcore album; you’ll be kicked in the teeth for twenty-eight unrelenting minutes. Knock ’Em Dead has set out to mash the listener into an unrecognizable pulp. While inherent in that statement is the strength of the record, it is also what prevents it from becoming a true standout. I would caution you against going into it expecting something more than the sum of its parts. That said, if you like hardcore I have no reservations about recommending this album—it’s fucking awesome. This is the most fun you’ll have getting your ass kicked all year.
--Jake Oliver
Comments
Lehigh Valley, PA
Jake, you dissappoint me with this one. Nothing about these guys are intriguing. Recycled beat down hardcore, that in my opinion, is not done well at all. I can name 50 other bands that do this and sound 1000x's better than these dudes. I want to know when Eulogy is going to be done signing crap like this. That label went down the drain super fast in my opinion. Sorry boss, can't agree with you on this one.
Minnesota
As soon as I saw you mention Thick as Blood and old Acacia Strain, I knew I'd hate these guys. Mentioning that basically screamed out "unoriginal bullshit". Doubt I'll even track this down...
Find me EVERYWHERE:
San Diego, CA
Haha well what can I say, I have a soft spot for beat-down.
Too old to bother, too young to give a shit.