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KILL OR BE KILLED
Growing up in Brooklyn, being a Biohazard fan is just about mandatory. I've been down with Biohazard since their demos, with the questionable lyrics about the "Master Race" and all that good stuff. They've come a long, long way since then. There was a time, not too long ago, that Biohazard was the biggest thing going in the underground. I mean, they were absolutely everywhere. Aside from the Aerosmith / Run DMC song, I can't think of anyone who was mixing rap & metal before Biohazard. They were doing rap metal before Anthrax hooked up with Chuck D. Biohazard truly wrote the book and other bands just took it and ran with it. Check out their first two records and you'll know what I mean. They were doing the whole urban - rap - metal - groove thing before it was the only thing. The first track I'm checking out on this new record is "World On Fire". Right away I notice the recording is much more low-fi than previous recordings, giving the whole sound more of a raw feel. Its still got that patented Biohazard groove although theres a little more Messhugah in the mix, more than I remember at least. Its got a lot of open, droning guitar chords but still has the classic Billy & Evan vocal trade-offs. "Make My Stand" continues with droning chords laid over some urgent beats. This track reminds me of Hatebreed, which is funny because Hatebreed is a band that openly sites Bio as a huge, huge influence. This record has a lot going in the sludge and groove department. Its a lot dirtier than their previous efforts and I like that. I'm also hearing some old school Sepultura "Roots" going on. At this point, I think its undeniable that Biohazard has taken off their blinders and have become well aware of what everyone else is doing around them, I thought that was painfully obvious on their last record, "Uncivilization". Its odd when a band that once took first steps wherever they walked begins sounding like bands that only formed years ago, but its inevitable. They might be done inventing but this is a mean fucking record and it shows you that Biohazard still means business well over a decade later.
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