BULLDOG COURAGE – “From Heartache To Hatred”
As a person more well-versed in positive hardcore than so-called ‘hatecore’, rough-cut bands like BULLDOG COURAGE have always been a struggle for me to engage. SHEER TERROR and BLOOD FOR BLOOD arguably set the modern standards for this type of music, though concerning the latter, I found Rob Lind’s music in RAMALLAH to be far more powerful and longer lasting. Thorp Records’ BULLDOG COURAGE (out of the often bleak city of Albany, New York) have what it takes to be a part of this conversation with the release of From Heartache to Hatred – it’s a 30+ minute assault of nasty, street-wise hardcore and punk with barroom swagger and been down/knock’ em down lyrics (when you combine ‘the world’s against you’ topics with a love for beer, a band writes its own card rather quickly). A punchy, crisp recording quality takes some of the grime out of the band, but also adds a bit of ‘thump’ to some of the traditional hardcore songwriting elements. BULLDOG COURAGE just scratch the surface in terms of breakdowns or dance parts – it’s not a priority for the band, but there’s just enough tweaks to tempos and rhythms to keep things moving forward. Thorp once referred to these guys as “a bunch of hardcore/punk hooligans” and that’s exactly the kind of sentiment expressed on From Heartache To Hatred – save it for your darkest days.
