Circle of Death by Homewrecker

Circle Of Death by Homewrecker

Forced Under

Circle Of Death

Born To Suffer

Illusions of Peace

Authority of the Mind

Skin The Pig

Punish the Ignorance

Silence the Weak

Unconscious

Ohio Doom-Hardcore band, Homewrecker, recently released the nine track full length album, Circle Of Death. Circle of Death is a step up from their previous release in 2012, Worms And Dirt, in both production and musical ability. Each song is fast, to the point, and crushing. The instrumentation is unforgiving; dropped tuning and quick drums help show that speed isn’t leaving hardcore, something that many could worry about with some of the newer releases from other big name bands. Vocals are deep, guttural growls that convey hatred and emotion. And what is hardcore music, or any music for that matter, if it holds no emotion? Hardcore music is all about emotion and anger, something that Homewrecker did not forget as they strove to become a more well known band. 

Production is very well managed with this newest release, something that is usually not taken too much into consideration with bands of the genre. The mix is well done, and each part is heard clear. Something that I really am enjoying about the mixing of the instrumentation is how loud the bass is heard over everything else. With the instruments tuned down, the bass leaves only a dull clanking sound, but with the fast paced strumming and strong bass lines, the instrument leaves little guess work as to what is going on. Drums consist of D-beats and blast beats, simple punk-hardcore drumming, nothing that stands out and I will remember. As for guitars, the rhythm is fast and throughout the release the lead takes quick guitar solos that, as a guitarist, give me shivers. 

I’d like to digress, and say that I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Homewrecker live, when they came through my area with similar bands, Backtrack and Harms Way. They put on a great show, and me seeing them live is the reason i’ve decided to take a look at this new release. What really stood out to me when seeing Homewrecker would be that each member of the band does vocals aside from the lead vocalist. While all vocal styles are similar in the band, it’s an exciting thing when all four members break off into either gang vocals or chaotic-like sections of songs. 

The thing about almost every new age hardcore band, is that it’s so easy to sound like every other band that’s out there. It was a problem back in the 80’s when hardcore-punk founding fathers such as Minor Threat, Youth of Today, and Circle Jerks were around, but that was punk music, and no one cared about instrumentation or production, everything was recorded in one take with an 8-track, and it was cool just to get your music out to be heard. Now days, with the amount of music that is heard daily, and with the internet to spread songs around, it’s not rare that you hear one band playing an almost identical guitar riff that another band you’ve heard plays. In all honesty maybe that’s why hardcore music these days is fading into a crossover with Metalcore music, as seen in Code Orange’s newest release, I Am King.  However, when it comes to ohio outfit, Homewrecker, the music is something that, while heard before, revamps my need to go out and listen to old fast hardcore music, to even listen to old metal bands such as Slayer, and Megadeath. If you’re a fan of the genre, and you’re looking for one of the best hardcore releases of 2014, Circle of Death, by Homewrecker, is the album for you.

Favorite Song: Silence the Weak