RINGWORM “Birth Is Pain”
There was a time when Victory Records was pretty much the great leader of putting out vicious, metallic hardcore music and delivering it to a wide audience. The days of INTEGRITY, SNAPCASE, STRIFE, EARTH CRISIS, and so forth, ruling the land, are pretty much gone (with the exception of SNAPCASE), and Victory, as most of us know, have moved on to forging a roster of insanely diverse sounds. Fortunately, there’s a still a strong voice within the Victory ranks that knows good metalcore when he or she hears it, and thus RINGWORM picks up where Victory’s “golden hardcore” days left off. “Birth is Pain,” feels like an out of control rollercoaster ride that’s been doused in gasoline and set ablaze with the spark of a match. RINGWORM ekes out every bit of evil in the 11 songs, covering 25 minutes of pure spitfire. Howling vocals, coupled with sonic double bass blasts and elevator heavy guitar sounds gives RINGWORM the power of a loose, pregnant rhino – this is not for the weak at heart. Above all, RINGWORM doesn’t come off as corny or holier than thou (though the artwork is a bit too cartoonish). Nothing about “Birth is Pain” is flashy, over the top, or unnecessary, and I wish more bands, especially of the nu-metal variety would take note. If you find the music of say, Trustkill Records or Ferret Records too complicated for your tastes, and harken to the day where hardcore was more simplistic, but just as destructive, check this out.
Victory
