It’s finally here! The much anticipated EP of Brabant (NL) based hardcore band Running Out has been received with a lot of positive comments so far, but I decided to sit down and really get into their latest work.

Rather Be In Hell starts off with a great intro spitting out a nice classic ”BUST!” , immediately letting you know what you’re up for. ‘Devil’s Spawn’ gets it moving with some great southern style riffs with pacing that eventually slows down to some mean mosh. Several tempo changes are found in this song which are brilliantly tied together by the lyrics and riffs. This is followed by the third track, ‘Braindead’ which is just plain and nasty. The track is a little slower then some of their other work, but this isn’t a bad thing by any means. Cold and truthful lyrics are the spine of this song but these are backed by some heavy guitarwork, a song to get even the dullards in the back to put down their beers and kick some heads in.

‘Rather Be In Hell’ is the title track of their new EP and it’s rightfully deserved. Great guest vocals bij Maikel from Make em Drop really make this song stand out and it just works. ‘Release My Demons’ is a personal favorite off of Rather Be In Hell, and I have a good suspicion that it will turn into a fan favorite. Catchy two step riffs and no-nonsense lyrics really make this track pop, especially lines like ”I still hate everyone including you / you will never get the best of me” will be hard not to scream along at one of their shows. The whole EP has a great sound to it and the way it was mixed is pleasing to the ear. It all sounds very balanced but still has a great raw edge to it. Running Out never set out to re-invent the wheel, but simply build upon a solid foundation of nasty hardcore and you’ll find that they have built a nice sound for themselves which is sure to attract fans of bands such as Swamps, Backtrack, Revenge, and many more.

Running Out has been around for nearly 2 years now and have been building a solid reputation for themselves as one of the better dutch hardcore bands out there. Their fast, aggressive, in-your-face music has been growing in recognition and it’s great to finally see these boys dish out a solid EP that is sure to get their career going even further. Hopefully they’ll be playing more shows outside of Holland this year because Rather Be In Hell shows that Running Out is definitely ready to get their show on the roads of Europe. Keep an eye out for this crazy bunch and be sure to catch them live if they play near you.

Track list – Rather Be In Hell

1. Intro
2. Devil’s Spawn
3. Braindead
4. Rather Be In Hell
5. Release My Demons

Running Out: Facebook / Download Rather Be In Hell

Written by Tom Vlasveld