As shallow as it may sound, my first impression of a band usually becomes my opinion of them.  As I grow older I see the amount of shows I go to has dwindled down rather considerably and I rely more on my good friend Mr. MP3 for new music.  With more homegrown demos with questionable quality popping up the first impression is often a misnomer.  But occasionally I catch a band I have never heard of that sticks in my mind and totally blows me away.  If you combine belly dancers, street-fights, the Red Sox losing the ALCS, with Since The Flood nearly inciting a riot, you have a somewhat memorable night.  And after that night I made sure to keep an eye on this band and now, they finally they have a proper release from IronClad Recordings (Unearth's Trevor Phipp’s label), Valor and Vengeance.

The band seems very comfortable in their position in the hardcore/metal sliver of music.  Since the Flood utilizes a combination of Hatebreed-esque hardcore with some down right metal tendencies.  They keep the pacing and length of each song fast enough to invoke many possible pit moments while making sure not to overstay the command and vigor of each song.  Vocalist Chuck Bouley rips through the disc screaming every word with an intense power and violent force, he unquestionably demands your attention.  His lyrics are your standard hardcore-fare, interspersed with stories of backstabbing, betrayal, and loyal friendships.  For most genres this may be looked down upon but in hardcore it still flourishes, allowing fans to easily pick up the words and chant along.  And Valor and Vengeance offers quite a few of those opportunities.  The band meshes well together creating some mind numbing, crowd punching, breakdowns, laced with double bass blast beats overlaid with some searing metal-like riffs.  In simpler words, it makes you want to get up and throat punch someone, it’s just flat out brutal.  Although the quality of the disc isn't the greatest, in the end I believe that adds to the appeal of the release.  Its gritty style adds that sort of DIY sound back from the good ole days of hardcore. 

Most of the true hardcore bands are most remembered by their live shows.  In a live setting you can really see if a band can hold their own and prove to some that hardcore isn’t dead.  That being said, as a stand-alone disc, Valor and Vengeance is not perfect.  But used almost as a study guide for their live show (where Since the Flood really has a chance to shine), it scores much higher

7.0/10