Panic
Strength In Solitude
6.1
No-frills hardcore is probably my biggest weakness, give me Sick Of It All, earlier Agnostic Front or Suicidal Tendencies, and I’m good to go for a while. So when I found out Bridge Nine Records was releasing a big-ass Panic compilation containing a three song demo, a live tune, along with the Dying For It & self-titled EP’s, I thought ‘hmm, mayyybe I’ll check it out if it floats my way’. Behold, it showed up in the queue one day here at MetalReview, so here we are. Even though some performers of this art form might object to such behavior, good hardcore is still great to consume alcoholic beverages along to, especially for ADD-ers like myself.
It’s kind of hard for me to critique a compilation disc since it takes on more of a retrospective angle than a singular idea or concept, and thus, isn’t looked at the way the band originally intended it to be. But here the clustering of Panic material flows just fine, and sounds like a complete vision, which could easily pass for a start to finish full-length album. The lyrics are a notch or two above typical hardcore fare, not quite in the Converge stratosphere, but nothing on Strength In Solitude is of caveman level.
Don’t expect to find much complex, dynamic songwriting on this disc, this is just straight ahead, mostly fast bash-your-brains-in hardcore. Stiff chugs, blaring punk riffs, somewhat clean but impassioned higher vocals that don’t get too screamy are everywhere, and I don’t think the longest tune even reaches the three-minute mark. There’s the barest touch of ska on “Force It ‘Til You Hear It Snap”, a little bit of More Beer elements sprinkled about, and an overall delivery that sounds like it originates more from New York City, rather than Boston. Ballsy, rude, it conjures many pit visions, and my head hurts just thinking about it, but not in an unappealing way.
There’s nothing really spectacular about Strength In Solitude, but taken for what it is, it’s a damn solid collection. There’s only so much you can say about music like this, but there’s enough stiff melody to keep things moderately interesting as the disc goes on, and the vocal patterns are lively as hell. It’s very basic, but definitely has a ton of pizzazz for being so very foundational as far as the genre goes. Not too bad, but nothing to go out of your way for unless you’re a hardcore enthusiast with a sweet budget to toy with.
