OUR WAR
if you're not now... 10"/cd
(DY24/25)

Some kick-ass hardcore-muscular riffs and a solid mix of speed and moshability or circle pittability or whatever you want to call it. A decided Boston HC influences for this Ontario band along with more modern touches, but no metal. Featuring members of CHOKEHOLD, LEFT FOR DEAD, the SWARM, HAYMAKER and the CURSED.

MP3

"50 years"

AVAILABILITY: In Press

PRESSING INFO

Limited "show" pressing, #'ed out of 100 on clear red vinyl
Limited "mailorder only" pressing, #'ed out of 200 on clear red vinyl

REVIEWS

Push the Limits
Toronto's straight edge grandpops on rampage! This is Jeff Beckman on guitar again (he played in CHOKEHOLD and LEFT FOR DEAD), accompanied by 4 more old, bitter guys fed up with modern hardcore, and boy does it show. Tough old styled hardcore with angry lyrics, this shit rocks. A record like this will keep you into hardcore for another decade, and not just because you're afraid of these guys pounding you.

Blue in the Face #1
Our War is a straightforward, straightedge hardcore band made up of Southern Ontario's longest running vets. Steve's vocals have changed a little since releasing their demo; he now sounds a lot like Porter from Floorpunch, not a bad change, but I liked the original vocals a little better. Pretty standard fare in the lyric department, but to the point no less. The songs are fast, tight, and most of all, pissed off. The first song "50 Years" starts off with a sample from the Canadian cult classic movie 'Strange Brew'. It's fucking hilarious (or awesome? I can't decide). From there they plow on through right to the end where we find their song 'Our War' (which is my personal favorite). It has the hardest intro; it would have best fit at the beginning of the album as it did on the demo, but the Strange Brew sample more than makes up for it.

Aversionline.com
Yes... unabashedly straightedge hardcore from Canada, and it fucking rips. No metal. Just the goods: Straightforward chord progressions, moderately fast/short songs, burly shouting vocals, and so on. 13 songs in about 16 minutes. Original? Nah. But come on, can anyone be original with this style of hardcore anymore? Not really. So as long as it kicks ass, I don't really care. And this certainly kicks ass. There's not much more to say. They do knock out a quick cover of C.O.C.'s "No Drunk". But other than that you should know what to expect, I'm just telling you that it's pretty damn good. The recording is basically fine by me. The drums sound natural and always pound away in the backgro! und, the guitars are heavy with a little bit of a ragged edge, and the vocals sound fucking awesome. All I'd do is turn the bass up. It's like rule #1 that old school hardcore needs to have some dominant basslines plunking away, and I have a hard time picking out the bass parts here. The lyrics are somehow great in their simplicity, and really bring to mind more than a few bands of old, both in their blatant attacks and with the subtle sense of sarcastic humor. As one would expect the lyrics are about being straightedge, hating people who sold out the edge, talking shit about the hardcore scene in general, and so on. Try, "You talked that shit now here I come. It's time you pay for the things you've done. You thought I'd let it slide, won't do any good to run and hide. I fucking guarantee that we will fight. Nothing you can do to make it right." And of course, "You turned your back, commitment you lack, claimed 'True 'til death death', dead to us and that's a fact." The artwork is really cool. Much different than any other release from this genre. Of course the logo is in that collegiate lettering, but all of the art is painted and has a horror theme to it. From the bloody and X'd up butcher on the front cover, to the band portraits (where each member is painted like a mangled zombie or some shit). It's a short record, but it feels a little bit longer than it is (which is a good thing in this case), so if you're into this style of music and miss the open belligerence of the old days, check this shit out. [7/10]

Suburban Voice #44
Say this much for Our War-you know EXACTLY where they stand when it comes to straight-edge and how they feel about those who have 'sold it out,' such as former edge icon Dan O'Mahony, who comes in for a solid drubbing on "Dan O." That's right-straight-edge in your fucking face and, if it's a bit over-the-top, this is a completely smokin' hardcore album (pun sort of unintended). And it's not only edge-breakers that get under their skin-they don't have a lot of patience with scene status-seekers, christian hardcore or tough-guy assholes. Fast, hammering compositions with stirring mosh parts and Steve Wiltse's agitated howl. Angry and passionate.