Reign Supreme - Testing the Limits of Infinite
Rating
RIYL
TerrorEarth Crisis
Advent
Blacklisted
Release Date
06/23/2009
Label
Deathwish Inc.Tracklist
1. Mother Superior2. Saving Grace
3. Persevere and Overcome
4. Apostle
5. Crushed by the Weight
6. In Absentia
7. Failure
8. Waiting
9. And Come What May
10. False Prophets
11. Slipping Away
12. To Live and Die (In Vain)
13. A Ghost in the City
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Philadelphia's Reign Supreme is a metallic hardcore band that loses no substance in all of their recorded catalog. The band, recognized for their consistent heaviness and attitude, released their American Violence EP on Deathwish, Inc. in 2008. The full album-length EP furthered the band's already hopeful reputation, earning them a tour with legends Earth Crisis and garnering interest for their new full-length. Playing off of the energy and feeling felt in American Violence, Reign Supreme begins where they left off - quite literally.
Literally, as in three songs from American Violence have been re-recorded or re-written in some way for Testing the Limits. Does this have any effect on the album feeling fatigued or recycled? Hell no. This is especially evident when tempos have been geared up and structures rearranged. Album opener “Mother Superior” is quick, short, and teases you to catch up. The start-stop motions add a sense of urgency and power to the band's already crushing tone, which will be all too familiar by the time you're finished with the album. The next three songs act as examples of the band's teeth-gritting, head-nodding persona and make sitting in a chair for the duration of this album hard to accomplish . “Persevere and Overcome” and “Apostle” present two stellar tracks: “Persevere” being a punishing declaration of independence and “Apostle” being a re-recorded and sped-up song that was a stand-out in its original incarnation.
Introspective instrumental “Waiting” serves as a break between two equally powerful sides of the album. “And Come What May” is a song notable for it's thick, melodic ending. Climbing the neck for those meaty chords, it teases another side of the band and continues the surprising melodic effect laid on by “Waiting”. “Slipping Away”, a rewritten version of “Only War” from American Violence, is a song that gains a rhythmic momentum only to climax in the album's best breakdown, which is essentially the song on repeat. It's a track that would seemingly translate very well to a live setting, and the band does their best to multi-track chants to emulate this. “To Live and Die (In Vain)” echoes the previous track by ending with an unforgettable breakdown and by also being one of the album's most powerful songs. Jay Pepito's gravelly yell plus the chunky guitar riffing of Mike Doto make things particularly heavy. It segues into the last track by way of lonesome guitar, which is then responded to with the no-holds barred approach of “A Ghost in the City”. Also a re-recorded song, its newly minted production makes it immediately more powerful than as previously heard on American Violence. The album is closed with gang chants and a well executed chord progression, reminiscent of “And Come What May”.
Testing the Limits of Infinite takes the momentum behind American Violence and adds in a crisp and finalized production to the mix, leaving us with one of the finest hardcore albums of the year. There's something about Reign Supreme that will make you move, whether in the pit or in your room at home, but needless to say, it's very powerful. To convey this sort of crushing force takes a skillful crew of musicians and an equally talented production effort, of which we are able to witness on this album. While it is just over a half hour long, the album's length will help it's replay value, especially when coupled with the band's other releases. There is something in the atmosphere of this release that makes you want to finish it once you start and something that tells you that this band means business. If you're a fan of hardcore, metalcore, Deathwish, Inc., Reign Supreme, or heavy music in general, I would advise you to hear this album immediately.
--Cody Rogers
Comments
Lehigh Valley, PA
Cody, excellent review. This album is fucking nasty. It has not left my cd player and has been on repeat on my ipod for over two weeks now. Every track is a gem. Seriously, just like Cody said, if you're a fan of hardcore, buy this shit.
Raleigh, NC
Thanks man! I racked up over 100 plays from this last week, according to Last.fm. This CD is a monster.
Lakewood, OH
Good cd, but Reign is heading more and more towards the metal realm of things. Amazing tracks, just way too predictable. A breakdown in almost every song and gang vocals on half the cd?
I loved the Fuck The Weak demo they had, and American Violence was gold, but I feel like this is just one more step away from hardcore for them.
Hopefully Trapped Under Ice don't head the same direction.
I do enjoy the disc though, don't get me wrong.
http://www.last.fm/user/nicklovesohio
Minnesota
Not bad. Pretty intense record. I dig it.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Raleigh, NC
I think if you could sum this album up in one word, it would be "intense".
San Jose, CA
Finally listening to it, and while it certainly has a lot of energy, most of it's pretty boring. And what's with the cliche breakdowns? 3 stars at most.
last.fm/user/thetsaiguy
Illinois
been listening to this a lot lately.
last.fm/user/tragedyl0ve
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