Among the crop of “newer” hardcore bands, Haymaker, in my opinion is on top of the list. Of course, members of this insane band came from Left For Dead, Chokehold, the Swarm, and the Cursed. After releasing several singles and splits with Fucked Up and Oxbaker just to name a few, they’re long-awaited full-length album was finally released in 2002.
Twenty five songs about cops (and how they hate them!), skateboarding and lots more. It included the cover "Burning Chemicals", originally done by the NUNFUCKERS, "A Million More Dead Cops" (MDC), "Life, Love, Revenge" (UNBROKEN), and "From the Cradle, to the Pavement" (SUBHUMANS). These guys are very pissed and reminded me of Infest a lot, which is a very good thing if you may ask. Add in Pushead’s artwork and it’s truly a killer!
Don’t take my word for it, here’s what the ‘pros’ have to say:
Thrash N Burn (Finland)
“BEST RECORD OF 2002!? Awesome heavy hardcore combining thrashy speed, great riffs, heavy mosh parts and a rude as fuck attitude. Haymaker brings the shit - negative hardcore 2002!”
Aversionline.com
“Slightly raw and heavy old school hardcore with all the speed and anger one would expect from the genre. They blaze through 25 songs in 22 minutes, and they mean fuckin' business. Obviously the songs almost never hit the one minute mark, but the writing is still intense as hell, and they know how to pack a fucking punch in 45 seconds or less that's for damn sure. There are tons of brutal breakdowns, but not in a goofy metalcore sense, they just add some flare to the tracks and are also a little bit darker somehow, which is unusual. They also thrown down a cover of the Nunfuckers' "Burning Chemicals", and it's incredible! If this is any indication of what the Nunfuckers had to offer back in the 80's, I've got some hunting to do! The production works out fine. Ever! ything is pretty even as far as both tones and the mix are concerned. I'd turn up the bass a little bit, being careful not to muddy up the sound. But other than that I have no qualms. The guitars are rugged but mesh perfectly with the vicious vocal shouts/screams, the drums are natural and do their thing, etc. The cover art is done by Pushead, so you know what to expect there. Skulls, eyeballs, the usual. The color scheme seems different from his other work, but whatever. The lyrics are bitter as hell and attack various topics, but humorous song titles like "God Can Fuck Hymnself" and "Who Wants to Kill a Millionaire?" should offer some insight there. But don't get the wrong idea, there's some serious shit here too, "Believe everything you fuckin' see, 'Cause those in charge wouldn't lie, Rest assured while you're sleeping, They're creating new ways for you to dieSÿ" This is an awesome fucking record. As with the vast majority of bands that play this style, Haymaker isn't exa! ctly doing something new, but I do feel like they have more to offer than a lot of the other bands out there, and they are leaning towards a sound that has enough diversity to really make a difference. Definitely recommended. There's only so much to say about a CD like this, but it fucking kills, so check it out.“
Twenty five songs about cops (and how they hate them!), skateboarding and lots more. It included the cover "Burning Chemicals", originally done by the NUNFUCKERS, "A Million More Dead Cops" (MDC), "Life, Love, Revenge" (UNBROKEN), and "From the Cradle, to the Pavement" (SUBHUMANS). These guys are very pissed and reminded me of Infest a lot, which is a very good thing if you may ask. Add in Pushead’s artwork and it’s truly a killer!
Don’t take my word for it, here’s what the ‘pros’ have to say:
Thrash N Burn (Finland)
“BEST RECORD OF 2002!? Awesome heavy hardcore combining thrashy speed, great riffs, heavy mosh parts and a rude as fuck attitude. Haymaker brings the shit - negative hardcore 2002!”
Aversionline.com
“Slightly raw and heavy old school hardcore with all the speed and anger one would expect from the genre. They blaze through 25 songs in 22 minutes, and they mean fuckin' business. Obviously the songs almost never hit the one minute mark, but the writing is still intense as hell, and they know how to pack a fucking punch in 45 seconds or less that's for damn sure. There are tons of brutal breakdowns, but not in a goofy metalcore sense, they just add some flare to the tracks and are also a little bit darker somehow, which is unusual. They also thrown down a cover of the Nunfuckers' "Burning Chemicals", and it's incredible! If this is any indication of what the Nunfuckers had to offer back in the 80's, I've got some hunting to do! The production works out fine. Ever! ything is pretty even as far as both tones and the mix are concerned. I'd turn up the bass a little bit, being careful not to muddy up the sound. But other than that I have no qualms. The guitars are rugged but mesh perfectly with the vicious vocal shouts/screams, the drums are natural and do their thing, etc. The cover art is done by Pushead, so you know what to expect there. Skulls, eyeballs, the usual. The color scheme seems different from his other work, but whatever. The lyrics are bitter as hell and attack various topics, but humorous song titles like "God Can Fuck Hymnself" and "Who Wants to Kill a Millionaire?" should offer some insight there. But don't get the wrong idea, there's some serious shit here too, "Believe everything you fuckin' see, 'Cause those in charge wouldn't lie, Rest assured while you're sleeping, They're creating new ways for you to dieSÿ" This is an awesome fucking record. As with the vast majority of bands that play this style, Haymaker isn't exa! ctly doing something new, but I do feel like they have more to offer than a lot of the other bands out there, and they are leaning towards a sound that has enough diversity to really make a difference. Definitely recommended. There's only so much to say about a CD like this, but it fucking kills, so check it out.“
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3 comments:
I didn't know this band.
The sound is very cool!, and the covers too.
prior to this release, they released semi-rare 7inches. and right now, haymaker is just a part-time band for Christian McMasters who plays for Cursed full-time.
Excellent post! Thanks for this.
Vin
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