Better Ways To Die is defined by what it is not. Specifically, it is not another heartless metallic hardcore release with endless breakdowns, and no substance to back up the band’s reason for existing. Plenty of this was displayed on the band’s prior full-length, Count Me In, but overall, it was predictable for genre, despite top-notch musicianship.

Better Ways To Die opens up the DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR’s musical horizon in all sorts of directions, including the vicious punk and metal crossover aesthetic found on early AGNOSTIC FRONT albums, as well as a twinge of street punk in the vein of Dutch legends DISCIPLINE, and the Al Barr classic group, THE BRUISERS. Much of the new and exciting territory bleeds from the second and third tracks, “Remember” and “Coffin Nail,” and the loose, bouncy guitars in the former make for one of the album’s finest moments. Standard metallic hardcore breaks through the surface on “Boys In Blue,” while a huge MOTORHEAD nod is dished out on the pounding title track.

From there, Better Ways to Die straightens up a little bit and gets back to the band’s ‘core foundation, moved along by singer Bryan Harris’ chewed-out vocals (more like SHEER TERROR’s Paul Bearer than ever before), and peppy, almost-always hoppin’ drumming. Final track, “Our Glory Days” is a sing-along anthem destined for the set closing spot, aurally begging kids to pile up on top of another while shouting out positive, inspirational lyrics.  A brisk 27 minute running time is a total asset to Better Ways To Die, where every second feels like it is used wisely. Bigger goals and better songwriting go a long way in further separating DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR from the middle.

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