With “PHOENIX“, the four musicians from RISE FROM ABOVE release their debut album. The band has previously played a number of support shows for bands like Hatebreed, Born from Pain, Death Before Dishonor, and Final Prayer, alongside a demo recorded by Micha from Anticops. Those are already some solid reference bands. Can the band now capture their good momentum in their debut?
First off, the relatively thin recording compared to other hardcore albums stands out, which, however, brings advantages when turning up the home sound system, as the often bass-heavy, thick recordings can quickly become overwhelming and unlistenable. Not so with RISE FROM ABOVE. You can play them loud enough that the neighbor can enjoy it too.
The band's style is oriented towards older hardcore, where melodies, spoken word, breaks, and aggressive parts form a cohesive unit. No blind bashing, and especially no guitarists who feel the need to push their effects to the limit. Instead, it's solid hardcore without any flaws.
Lyrically, RISE FROM ABOVE stays true to the classic themes of the scene with songs like “D.I.T.”. It’s about solidarity, friends, and family, but songs like “New Era” or “On a Warpath 2K10” go quite far for a hardcore band. Here, current politics, contemporary coexistence, but also the misery and war that show their terrorist face in far too many corners of this world are addressed. RISE FROM ABOVE walk through the world with open eyes, not overly fixated on themselves or the scene. One can only hope that this remains the case.
“PHOENIX“ is a successful debut that will attract attention. Keep it up!
