Provoke - Provoke /Tempo 38 - Split Release - Brothers In Battle (Album)
Australian hardcore band Provoke are angry. Really angry. And on this split release with New Zealand's Tempo38, they are going to yell about being angry in five very short songs. Tempo38 are pretty angry too, but they take a little more time with each song to let you know about it.
Before I go any further with this review, I'll just come right out and say that when it comes to modern punk and hardcore music, it's a genre that I haven't given a lot of time to, partly because I've been busying myself being an indie rock wanker, and partly because I can only take so much testosterone fulled aggression before I get a little twitchy and need to lie down. But as far as this fairly untrained ear can tell, there is nothing overly special on this release. Having said that, there is nothing particularly offensive on this release either.
Provoke are obviously really good at what they do, but what they are doing is very stock standard hardcore. Apparently fans of bands like Murphy's Law, Sick of it All and Madball should get into this. I'm trying really hard to get into their stuff but it's just not for me. If you like your hardcore served straight up over ice instead of mixed into a wussy cocktail then I dare say you'll appreciate this Brisbane band half of the Brothers in Battle split.
Tempo38, on the other hand, are a little bit more accessible to my ears. It's a little slower and calmer in parts, the raps are pretty good, the songs are pretty damn catchy. The purist hardcore kids may not get into it, I don't know. Listening to songs like 'Take No Sides' and 'Bitter Truth', you can tell this is a band who would be awesome live, and that once you had been to an awesome live show, listening to the recorded material would be even better than it already is.
If hardcore is your thing, then give this release a go, you'll probably get into it, because whilst it's not reinventing the genre or going to go down in history as the best hardcore release ever, it's pretty darn good. And with the never ending stream of splits that get released from punk/hardcore bands who are relatively unknown to the world but are the heroes of their hometown, it's good to listen to one that IS good and that can't really be faulted.
