Orange County’s Hardcore-Punk heroes Ignite return after ten years with A War Against You.
https://vimeo.com/151019955
Text Review:
In southern California, the hardcore punk scene will never die. Bands like Ignite are proof that some sounds won’t go out of style due to time, trends or the overall change of a sub-genre. And now in the beginning of 2016 the band returns with their first album in ten years.
Picking up where you left off is never an easy task when some much time has passed, but when it comes to Ignite they were more than up for the job. In several In The Studio videos posted on YouTube the band talked about recording and making the new album – and with that saying how they originally looked back at their previous album on what to work from, and THEN figured out what they wanted changed.
There have been many examples from different bands in the past throughout various sub-genres where the same album was presented with a new name every few years but in reality it’s the exact same song being repeated. But with twenty years of experience and a desire to build off what you have created previously, it’s hard to not appreciate Ignite’s effort as musicians and respect for fans.
Within the writing of A War Against You is a myriad of topics including bullying, corporate oppression and mass media. Along with these subjects is a lack of subtlety as the determined message is screamed at you along with some extremely gritty rumbling and loud riffs. A War Against You in its most basic definition is not an album you can listen to softly and in the background.
To prove this point is one of the albums highlighted songs and the debuted SINGLE for the album’s release “This Is A War”. This song is the true representation of the SoCal Hardcore Punk scene and in many ways another banner anthem for Ignite.
The chorus of This Is A War and hearing the title screamed are the examples of proving what I meant about being music you cannot just listen to low in the background. Zoltan’s vocals flow from intense to melodic between the verses and chorus and the drum work is furious and drives this song at a loud pace.
At the two minute mark though there is a bridge that takes the tempo down and instead of carrying the track forward it feels like it delays it. It makes this three and a half minute song feel longer than it is. Whether that is good or not is up for debate, but it makes the song have a odd disjoint when instead of space to pick up the volume or shred a guitar, there is an audible break.
The good news however is that after This Is A War is when things really start to pick up on the album. The real meat and worth of A War Against You is built within the center. It’s half way through the album you will be playing and realize you want to hear some of these tracks a second time due to their gritty bass lines and triumphant delivery.
You Saved Me is one of the examples in A War Against You that makes you sing along while being fully focused on everything going on in the track. The guitar riffs and fret work is fantastic and there is a dramatic buildup leading to the final chorus that makes this song feel like an enormous spectacle and a future concert staple for fans to get crazy with.
While there is some melody and shades of various genres of yesteryear like grunge and even hair metal, a large majority of this album is drenched in the punk and hardcore scene born long ago in Orange County. Songs like You Saved Me and Where I’m From stand as testaments to Ignite’s roots in both life and musical influences.
The punk scene used to be about standing up to the man in a brash and loud way. Somewhere along the years it changed to not being a perfect teenager and complaining about school. With bands like Ignite, it is very rewarding to hear the fire in a performance and music to have more substance and meaning about the world we live in.
Overall, A War Against You sees the return of a two decade name in good fashion. Even if not every song is an absolute barn burner, the replay button will be hit several times on many of these tracks while you shout along with the melody and madness that Ignite delivers.
