Judgement X Day is a straight edge hardcore band from Orange County, California.
Their lyrics are about living life with integrity and to wake up the listener to issues of the working class, human dignity and the plight of the oppressed. Unafraid. Unashamed. Steadfast and strong. The previous was taken from the site of On The Attack Records,
It is hard to find more information about this band so I will continue to the actual album review of this six song EP.
It all starts with an lovely acoustic guitar part with the sound of a thunderstorm in the back. Quickly followed by heavy hardcore as it should be. This song ‘Age Of Innocence’ features Chad Paramore of Messengers. Uptempo but also with slow heavy breakdowns.
The next song ‘Seek’ is more old school hardcore, fast and furious. It reminds me at some parts of New York hardcore. This song features Noah Friend of World of Pain. It continues with ‘Visions of a Sanctuary’. A more slow song and in my opinion a bit monotone. Then, with 32 seconds, the shortest song, ‘Rise’. This will wake you up immediately if you fell asleep during the previous song.
Followed by the title track ‘The Altar’. For me the highlight on this album. Very fast uptempo, brutal hardcore with a lot of tempo changes. The vocals of Levi are at his best, interspersed with the vocals of Brandan Schieppati of Bleeding Through.
Then we already reach the end of this EP with the song ‘New World Prophecy’. Again it starts with acoustic guitar. This is a heavy song with a menacing tone. It consists mainly of spoken word. Not fast but with a sound that kicks you in the stomache. The song is closed with a piano and, again, the sound of heavy rainfall.
Well, that was a short review, this time I found it hard to say more about the songs. And maybe that summons it all up. All in all it is a good album but don’t expect a whole new concept with a lot of new sounds. The most is done already but it is done well. And as I have said before, that is something I find more important. Well done guys for an, as far as I know, first album. If you are into hardcore you should definitely check them out.
Rating: 6.5/10
Written by: René Woning
Tracklist:
1. Age of Innocence (ft. Chad Paramore of Messengers)
2. Seek (ft. Noah Friend of World of Pain)
3. Visions of a Sanctuary
4. Rise
5. The Altar (ft. Brandan Schieppati of Bleeding Through)
6. New World Prophecy
Band members:
Levi – vocals
Brandon – guitar
Michael – guitar
Travis – bass
Joe – drums
Discography:
“demo” (2014) [review]
“The Altar” EP (2015)
Record label: On The Attack Records, Jan. 2015
Weblinks: Facebook / Bandcamp / Instagram
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission
Video below ‘Age Of Innocence’