The Hardknocks - Battle Scarred
Crowd Control Media
Ever since The Hardknocks sent me some of their unreleased demo recordings in order for our “Promote & Provoke” compilation in 2013 I have been an instant fan of these guys. At the time I received those recordings the band was defunct, which I thought was very unfortunate, but when the news spread that this LA Oi! outfit got back together I immediately got stoked and last year’s debut EP “Confrontation” for Vinyl4Bootboys Records was an absolute banger, although I failed to add it to my year list of 2014. Now it’s 2015 and the band is striking back hard with their debut full-length “Battle Scarred” for Crowd Control Media!
And holy shit, straight from opener, the title-track “Battle Scarred”, these guys blow me away! This is the tough as nails, heavy as hell, no-bullshit, brick wall Oi! sound that I fuckin’ love! These guys instantly grab you by the throat from track one, punching blow after blow after blow, leaving you with nothing than a bust-up face while The Hardknocks take home nothing more than bruised and bleedin’ knuckles when the final chords of the last track, The Bruisers’ cover “Till The End”, fade. This is serious business and that the band labeled their sound as Thug Rock is for damn good reasons, because the “Battle Scarred” LP sounds as mean and violent as the band name, album title and artwork suggest while lyrics deal with the same violence, friendship and brotherhood, loyalty, drinking, skinhead subculture and American pride provided with a soundtrack that is best described as a heavy, bass driven’, The Bruisers’ “Cruisin’ For A Bruisin’”-era sound on steroids! Fan-fuckin’-tastic!
Besides a whole batch of new tracks, The Hardknocks also re-recorded ‘golden oldies’ like “Tradition” and “American Heroes”. Last one has been my favorite by these guys ever since I first heard it and this revised version knocks out the original demo recording with a small, but excellent, acoustic intro before it turns into a hard hitting, patriotic stomper that seems to be paced down a notch compared to the original, making it extra heavy! To top it all off The Hardknocks not only pay respect to the legends (with “Till The End”), a guest appearance by US Oi! legend Mike Oxley of Fatskins and Oxley’s Midnight Runners fame on the track “Only The Strong” can be found on this powerhouse of a record as well! Bam!
The Hardknocks Crew truly impress with their debut full-length. This is Thug Rock at its finest and will surely raise the bar for any other upcoming release within the curb stompin’ genre of heavy weight, strong as an ox Oi! music! My guess is that Crowd Control Media needs to put in a second order sooner than later, because the first pressing of 100 LP’s on Dodger Blue vinyl and 150 LP’s on black vinyl will be gone in no-time. At least they should be, because “Battle Scarred” is tough and solid as hell and I definitely won’t fail to add it to my year list this year, because that’s what this album is: year list material! Stunning!
