Hardest Fight

Just when you thought the gaping hole in the wall of hardcore couldn't get any wider, Love Is Red comes along with a punk rock spackle bucket known as Hardest Fight to make everything right with the disenfranchised youth of the world. Evoking icons of yore like Sick of It All, Stretch Arm Strong and Gorilla Biscuits, with bits of Cave In and most notably Reach the Sky, the band packs a wallop as it augments weighty topics like religion and alcoholism with explosive drumming, a six-string crunch and plenty of raw emotion. Mosh pit-worthy tracks abound, with plenty of speed and a lot of heart. Be it the melodic, commanding "Said and Done," the declarative, powerful set-opener "My Life" or the blink-and-you'll-miss-it-urgency of "Everything You Love," Love Is Red are that rare, authentic hardcore outfit -- thumping and thunderous; they play it like they mean it.