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Rhinoceros - They Are Coming For Me

Rating

RIYL

Madball
100 Demons
Judge

Release Date

02/02/2010

Label

Eulogy Recordings

Tracklist

1. Righteous Man
2. One More Breath
3. They Are Coming For Me
4. Breaking Point
5. No Trust
6. Choices Made
7. Falling Down
8. Let Me Die In Peace
9. Self Destruct
10. Scum
11. Mad World
12. Faded Glory

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Recent Ratings
Bill Lohr

Rhinoceros really is a great name for a hardcore band. In a perfect world, this review would be littered with analogies like “charging riffs,” “stampede-inducing breakdowns,” “vocals of a wild beast,” and the like. Considering I’m not quite blown away by the album, however, I’ll spare you the animal references. While perusing the tracks, titles like “One More Breath,” “Breaking Point,” and “No Trust” give a pretty clear indication of what we’re dealing with. Yes, Rhinoceros does plenty to please the straight-edge hardcore crowd on They Are Coming For Me, but over the course of the album there isn’t quite enough variety to keep casual listeners coming back.

The group gets off to a frothing, rabid start with “Righteous Man,” which is somewhat disappointing considering the rest of the album fails to live up to the intensity of the opening track (though “Falling Down” comes close). From here on out Rhinoceros executes the usual straight-edge hardcore aesthetic that we’ve heard from numerous bands over the years – the gang vocals, fast chord progressions, chunky riffing, breakdowns and fairly generic lyrics are all present. That said, everything is performed quite competently and enhanced by a clear recording and a solid mixing job. Despite the somewhat derivative nature of the genre, moments in tracks like “No Trust” and “Choices Made” offer glimpses of variety and melodic nuance that could go a long way toward elevating Rhinoceros above their like-minded peers. The album also features a handful of churning riffs that really hit the spot (“They Are Coming For Me,” “Breaking Point”), while “Self Destruct” lurches with a menacing heft that shows the group might have more than a few tricks up their sleeves.

At a brief 28 minutes, They Are Coming For Me definitely doesn’t overstay its welcome. While most listeners won’t be instantly drawn to Rhinoceros’ sound, fans of 100 Demons, One King Down and recent releases from Eulogy Recordings shouldn’t hesitate to give the group a shot. If straight-edge hardcore is your thing, or you need a good workout companion, you could certainly do a lot worse. Hopefully Rhinoceros will expand upon their sludgier elements and maintain their fleeting ferocity over the course of an entire album on future releases – maybe then the rhinoceros analogies will genuinely apply.

--Matt Murphy