Bars
Introducing...
6.5
What happens when members of Give up the Ghost, The Hope Conspiracy, Ten Yard Fight, The Suicide File and Beyond the Sixth Seal team up and rock out? Bars, that’s what. Bringing the rock back into hardcore, Bars is a riff driven slice of classic hardcore in the vein of Black Flag, Sick of it All and Madball, but with a sultry bar room rock ‘n’ roll vibe akin to The Cult, and while the end result has its moments, its just not something I would listen to on a regular basis, but for you more open minded rockers you might look into this.
The hardcore meets rock visage is heartfelt and honest and the collaborative effort of the band isn’t forced or scene directed so the urgent, punky, driving tunes such as opener “Bright Lights For Demise” and “Up to my Neck” don’t clash too hard with the album’s rare moments of smoky miasma such as “Toecutter”, “Too far Down” and “This is it”. Honestly, the latter three tracks have far more dark character than the album's punchy, power chord anthems, and I would like to hear Bars explore that side of their sound rather than simply purvey a classic sound that’s been done to death.
Vocalist Kevin Baker keeps everything familiar with his Lou Koller cum Henry Rollins like backstreet snarl, while guitarists Adam Wentworth (The Red Chord, Beyond the Sixth Seal) and Tim Cossar (Give up the Ghost) guide the riffs from fist clenching NYHC to a swirling, dreamy rock that gives Bars a little intellectual personality above and beyond brawling, sweaty East Coast hardcore. “Type Face Love Letter” with sing-a-long chorus is deftly crafted to appeal to both mic grabbing, tattooed hardcore fans and a more laid back commercial rock fan, and shows Bars are capable of appealing to both with the catchy Cult like main riff at 1:30. The piano usage of “I was Asleep by Now” is a nice touch also, but may deter gruff hardcore stalwarts, despite its driving main riff.
Again, not an album I’ll throw on for enjoyment, but certainly an interesting take on classic East Coast hardcore from a group of veterans willing to expand their sound. Good background party rock though.
