aggression.

The other day I went to the local record store and picked up a copy of the new Verse album, "Aggression." It dawned on me that this was the first new hardcore record I had been excited about in quite a while, probably since Paint it Black released "New Lexicon" way back in February. I'm not too sure why that is, though it probably has something to do with the incredibly high break-up rate of every single hardcore punk band that I really love. Most bands in this genre seem to have a short shelf life.

With so many great bands calling it quits after a handful of records, I've been a bit depressed with hardcore these days. Thankfully, Verse is doing something very excellent. "Aggression" is incredible.


Verse released their debut EP in 2003 and have been consistently putting out solid music ever since. Vocalist Sean Murphy, whose work I enjoyed in his previous band (What Feeds the Fire), has one of the most distinctive voices in all of hardcore and he really flexes his vocal chords on "Aggression." I've read reviews that compare his delivery on this record to Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against The Machine, and I suppose I can hear it from time to time in certain tracks. Overall though, I wouldn't put much thought into that comparison, Murphy still sounds much the same as he did in "Rebuild" and there are no rap-rock elements to this record.

One thing that I really like is that "Aggression" sounds like an album. The songs flow perfectly and you can tell that this whole thing was put together carefully. Verse try something most hardcore bands wouldn't dare to, a nearly-seven minute long song broken up into three tracks, each with a different subtitle, kind of similar to what Green Day did on with "Jesus of Suburbia" on "American Idiot." Verse's "Story of a Free Man" deals with a father killed at war and is quite moving for a hardcore song, especially when Murphy screams out "...this is the story of a free man!" to bring the final chapter, "Serenity," to a close. Some of the transitions between tracks on this record are perfect, especially how "Blind Salvation" leads into "Unlearn" near the end of the album.


Verse are a bunch of intelligent dudes and it's apparent by reading their highly policital and often very personal lyrics. I firmly believe that hardcore and punk rock go hand in hands with world events and politics and bands like Verse give my beliefs and my point of a view a much louder and powerful voice, even if I don't completely agree with everything that they stand for. It's refreshing to hear a band scream about how fucked up things are in this country and this world and know that people out there are just as fed up and angry about it as I am. One of the coolest things about "Aggression" is the lists of books to read and films to check out in the liner notes, for those who would like to know more about what is behind the music, so to speak. It just goes to show that Verse stands for something and they want their fans to educate themselves about what that is.

I can easily see this album making my top 10 at the end of the year. Few hardcore records in my recent memory have been so fiercely political and so well put together and complete. These guys have come a long long way from their early days of Bane inspired, fast melodic hardcore and I'm stoked about where they are heading.

Do yourself a favor, give it a listen.