BLEEDER’S DIGEST: QUICKIE REVIEWS OF LIONHEART AND ROGER MIRET & THE DISASTERS

Lionheart, Built On Struggle (Mediaskare)
Toughguy hardcore comes out swinging in 2011 with the second full-length album from this Bay Area band, and those familiar with their 2007 LP The Will To Survive already know to brace for the impact of fist against face. The crew has expanded this time around, with unfuckwithable guests like Earth Crisis’ Karl Buechner and Skarhead’s Lord Ezec joining the fray on select cuts. Given that Lionheart’s advocates include Mike Hood and Jamey Jasta, the metallic hardcore on offer here will naturally appeal to fans of Hoods and Hatebreed. No wheels are reinvented, but that’s hardly the point. Tumultuous tracks like “Don’t Speak My Name” and “Nowhere” are designed for decimation, occasionally slowing down the tempo long enough to let pit fiends finish spitting up blood.

(3.5 out of 5 horns)

Roger Miret & The Disasters, Gotta Get Up Now
Street punk relies heavily on gutter-level authenticity and memorable gang chant hooks, both of which this animated record–the band’s fourth–has in spades. Miret’s decades in hardcore coupled with his hardscrabble life equips him well to lead such a crew as The Disasters, who might otherwise face some considerable adversity of their own. Indeed, whenever the Agnostic Frontman passes the mic, the Disasters suffer from a personality crisis like a Strummer-less Mescaleros. Fortunately, Miret and his matured, inimitable bark loom large over the bulk of Gotta Get Up Now. Nearly every track yearns to be a anthem, including uptempo highlights like “We’re Gonna Find A Way” and “Outcast Youth.” The country-fried coda “JR” is a nice touch.

(3 out of 5 horns)

-GS