Hawk I- 4 song demo review

Hawk I- 4-song 2008 demo review


When I hear that a band plays a newer style of hardcore music, I always approach with caution; newer hardcore has a plethora of shit in its catalog. Jawbreaker and Hatebreed were probably the two worst things to happen to hardcore. However, a few bands in this collection of soil fertilizer rise above the masses of cattle crap and put out some damn fine music. This is one such band.

Hawk I puts the fast-paced energy and breakdown-laden song pieces together to make some chant-able anthems to simultaneously sing and mosh to. “Mirror Image” is a track with a long intro and a strong finish; the singer clearly echoes his words, communicating his anger and frustrations clearly and bluntly, not to mention the pounding the drummer gives in the background. “F.T.W.” is a slightly slower track that emphasizes the sing-along part of hardcore prevalent today. Different here is that the lyrics don’t suck and the breakdowns are divided better, so that it’s not the only part of the guitar-drums sound in the background below the singer’s voice. “R.I.P.” moves further towards the new hardcore sound, using the breakdown method a bit too much. A double-time part in the middle of the song with some thrashing drums and a crispy guitar riff would’ve really made this song. It’s still not bad, it’s just not worth pining over. The last track, the improperly spelled “sorealitlooksfake” makes the use of the breakdown actually work. The chorus of the song fucking kills with the singer’s chants marching in time with the beat in the background. This song is an example of how new hardcore can actually be good.

Although it’s a bit heavy on the breakdowns, this demo is a fantastic masterpiece of work and coming from an 80s hardcore pupil, I really liked this EP. Get it, sooner rather than later.

-Aunty Social