Reviewed by Peter John Willoughby

Call To Preserve are a straight edge band from Florida. 'Straight edge' is a subculture of hardcore punk, where devotees abstain from drugs, alcohol and tobacco and for stricter followers, refraining from promiscuous sex, being a vegetarian or vegan and not consuming caffeine. This is the band's third album with Facedown and features heavy hardcore with gravelly vocals and gang shouts. They have toured with Agnostic Front, Madball, For Today and Advent. Some critics disliked this album because of the old-school hardcore themes. However, for me, hearing those classic influences (Cro-Mags) being injected with fresh ferocity made this interesting even with repeated listening. Opening with mid-paced riffing, you might be lulled into thinking this is going to be a melodic metalcore album. This is soon laid to rest as the tempo chugs up to ramming speed during "Drawing Lines On All Sides". Refreshingly, the lyrics are about overcoming traditions and draw inspiration from their straight edge punk ethics. A good example of this is "Desoto" which opens with gently chiming guitars before a huge outpouring of aggression; ranting against the futility of an alcohol-fuelled lifestyle. "Across The Isle" is a short and brutal track where John Ellis trades vocals with Joe Musten of Advent "(Won't be a slave)/The way they use our God (the way they use our God)/To justify a war (to justify)/Or tow the party line (or tow the party line)/The way you play the whore/I won't close my eyes and justify a fight for control/I won't tow your line". The only drawback is the relatively short length (less than 31 minutes) of this classic hardcore punk album.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.