This is the second installment of Thorp Records’ “Unsung Series,” which pays homage to some early-to-mid-90s hardcore bands that seem to get overlooked during their heyday. While I wasn’t too familiar with Thorp’s first choice, CONVICTION, this EDGEWISE discography is much appreciated, as these guys were a band that I always heard on compilations, but never further. For the uninitiated, this might be too much a disc too handle, with 28 tracks, and over 78 minutes of hardcore music, but the music quality is high, as is the recording quality, the ratio of stand-out tracks, as to those merely mediocre is strong in the former’s favor. EDGEWISE fit in somewhere between modern metalcore, and earlier, traditional old-school hardcore, not disimilar from JUDGE, but with a gruffer aspect. Another interesting about these guys was that they were able to craft a four minute song that didn’t have a million timings changes. Although at times, this tried my patience, the clarity in the technicality of this band is hard to ignore. “Angel Face,” “Crime Pays,” “Lost In Space,” and “Shadows” are all rippin’ songs, and surely will stand the test of time of the hardcore genre. Again, at such an incredibly length (it is a discography after all), this might be tackled best in small doses, but EDGEWISE are certainly worthy of being memorialized.

Thorp

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