J’Accuse is a five-piece hardcoreband from the Netherlands. As they state in their own words: “J’accuse! stands for speaking what we think is true, no matter what the consequenses are. We spare nothing or nobody, including ourselves. Formed in June 2012 to play lightning fast hardcore with honesty and passion, J’Accuse…! has seasoned hardcore veterans as it’s members. Between the five of them, they’ve played a couple of hundred shows, and it shows; energetic and aggressive, they know how to work a crowd.”
Now they are back with a new EP, call it an album with eight tracks if you wish, so let’s give it a listen.
It all begins with some French gibberish, okay my own fault that I don’t speak French. But when the bass kicks in all the mayhem breaks loose. Up-tempo hardcore with an aggression and melodic temperament that is continued throughout the whole album. To make it perfectly clear right from the start; don’t expect your typical New York hardcore….. Nope, it is so much more, Peter hasn’t got the average hardcore throat. It is more high pitched screams with low growls. Very refreshing! Towards the end of the track ‘Battles’ there are the more typical hardcore screams, done by Thomas I guess. Not bad, not bad at all… Thomas wrote all the music by the way.
Third track ‘Remember’ is fast and brutal but with so much passion and emotion that goosebumps are to be expected. Followed by ‘Set Sail’ which also has some rock&roll elements besides the hardcore fury. I like it when I hear so much more than the thirteen in a dozen hardcore, ‘No Time To Waste’ is such an example. Musically I hear some variation that could easily fit on an album of Pennywise, punkrock is not dead!
‘Dancer! Dancer! Dancer?’ is also such a track that is unmistakably hardcore, but to call it only hardcore doesn’t cover it. Too hard to explain but give it a listen and you will know what I mean.
And man! the screams of Peter at the end of ‘Road To Hell’ are so extreme! Black metal meets hardcore. The whole album rages forth with a never ending energy, never a dull moment as is proved in the intro of the last song ‘Ship On A Raging Sea’. In that first minute alone I hear so many influences from a variety of styles (Thrash metal, check! Hardrock, check! Hardcore, duh! Etcetera).
Hardcore with a positive message: “Let’s sail this raging sea, and find the one who’s in control!”
By the way; when you listen to the album on Spotify, there is a ninth bonustrack ‘Uffelte’, a cover of At The Close Of Every Day. A nice ‘cherry on top of the cake’.
Conclusion: buy the album, visit a show and give them some love, they deserve it!
Rating: 8/10
Written by: René Woning
Tracklist:
1. Fibrecoptics
2. Battles
3. Remember
4. Set Sail
5. No Time To Waste
6. Dancer! Dancer! Dancer?
7. Road To Hell
8. Ship On A Raging Sea
Band members:
Peter Rebel – Vocals
Thomas Aantjes – Guitar &vocals
Timon Kaat – Guitar
Carl Stapelbroek – Bass
Michiel Kokee – Drums
Discography:
“Self – Titled” EP (2015) [review]
“Every Battle Leaves A Scar” (2017)
Record label: Self released, November 2017
Weblinks: Facebook / Bandcamp / Spotify
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission
https://www.facebook.com/JaccuseHC/videos/1183143955051164/