On The Rise - Burning Inside

On The Rise is another New York hardcore band focused on a positive message - raised on Gorilla Biscuits, Warzone, Sick of it All, Agnostic Front, et al. Nevertheless, I found a surprisingly level of enjoyment out of Burning Inside. Roger Miret (of Agnostic Front) happened to turn the knobs for this album, by the way. Anyway, the NYC hardcore scene lives on through On The Rise, and the band probably makes the scene proud. Fast, tight rhythm section, hard guitar work (sometimes surprising, but not very heavy), shouted vocals, sweet gang vox, and hints of melody throughout. The album definitely has an old school sound, and stays true to the roots of what was originally known as "hardcore". It's nice to see the Bridge Nine Records is still managing to put out quality records when other top hardcore labels have ventured off into signing crappy pop-punk bands. Does Victory Records ring a bell? [www.bridge9.com]