Review: Survival – Spirit Unchained

Spirit Unchained

Survival is a band based in Manchester (UK) which plays straight-forward and honest Straight Edge Hardcore. After releasing their 2011 Demo for free, Spirit Unchained is their debut 7″ on Carry The Weight Records.

Survival delivers everything you can expect from a band in their genre. Six short and fast songs with stomping breakdowns and grooving 2-step parts. A sound that reminds of D.R.I., infected with 80’s Thrash Metal. Gangshouts are also present: “These are my reasons and my reasons alone, for why I stand aside, and watch you fall, no one will catch you, no one at all” screams the band on ‘Razor’s Edge’.

The most controversial and angry track on this release is ‘Time & Place’, with lyrics about dealing with a non-straight edge, drug using audience. “I don’t fucking care what kinda drugs you take, don’t bring them to the show, there’s a time and place”. Is one of the lines talking about this kind of issue.

Survival is certainly not here to reinvent the wheel, but released a solid EP with fun tunes nontheless. Most of all, this is a record that you need to experience live. A perfect soundtrack to mosh, stagedive and singalong too with your friends. Luckily the band will play Northcote this upcoming March, sharing the stage with heavyweights like Expire, Cornered and Broken Teeth.

So go see that, and don’t let no barrier stop you from going nuts, as Survival themselves want it to be: “There’s a wall between us, smash it to the ground . There’s a barrier between you and I, and we gotta break it down”.

Track List – Spirit Unchained