BURN “Cleanse”
Hell yeah, this rocks. As a long time fan of BURN vocalist Chaka, and his longtime running project, ORANGE 9MM,” it seems almost too good to be true to have a new EP of BURN material sitting before me. For close to a decade now, Chaka has been combining hardcore and hip-hop into a stellar creation, forging a smooth, inviting sound like no other. “Cleanse” pounds out six songs of old-school hardcore with raplike vocals that flow with beauty and punch – a style that no nu-metal band could ever come close to mastering. It was a long time ago when Chaka first set foot on the NYHC scene, well before I even knew what hardcore was (learning a bike I’m pretty sure was my priority in 1988), and BURN doesn’t steamroll with same upfront roar that it used to possess. However, their lyrical intracies and overall bouncy sound works wonders for creating listener interaction, and not to mention, a kickin’ sound track for the car stereo. With a line-up full of members from the original BURN, and other NYHC heroes, “Cleanse” is very complete sounding (recorded by Ken Olden of BATTERY, DAMNATION AD) with my only complaint being that I want another six songs to follow. The fifth tune, “Disgraces,” gets my blood pumping, with some crazy drumming, and wicked stop-start timing changes, all topped with with Chaka in command. I don’t know how well these guys ever did outside of New York, but both the BURN of yesteryear and today should be checked out by everyone who claims to appreciate hardcore.
Equal Vision
