Freedom are a testament to how powerful straight edge is across the globe right now. After thundering out of Detroit in 2014 with debut 7” Pay the Price in tow, the band left in their wake a number of poison-free hardcore anthems. Now, a year on, their new LP USA Hardcore is a more than worthy successor. Like Pay the Price, the record is again representative of a band who are struggling with the lack of morals surfacing in society and the inner turmoil and conflict that goes with living in the digital age.
“Am I doomed to be like the rest? This is all I expect, in the age of unrest, can we ever know what comes next? Senseless wars, police brutality, this is what you call humanity.” – ‘Age of Unrest’
‘Anti-Poison’ opens with a declaration of zero tolerance for substance abuse. “I can’t say I care, I don’t feel your pain.” This song was featured on the LP Promo tape and is what I would call Freedom’s defining anthem, although there are many such songs spread through out USA Hardcore. I’m pleased too that the lyrical content wasn’t just confined or restricted to one or two select things. The stand-out songs for me are most definitely ‘Anti-Poison’, ‘Debt Not Repaid’, ‘Slam II’, ‘Age of Unrest’, ‘Pride & Loyalty’ and ‘My Stance’, and Freedom remain committed to the punk genre and the sound they are paying homage to with every track, as well as relentless in their delivery of the whole LP. There is never really an opportunity for a breather as each song accelerates to the next (yet you expected that anyway going into it).
USA Hardcore will be released December 11th on Triple B Records but the record is streaming here: http://noisey.vice.com/blog/freedom-band-usa-hardcore-stream
Track list – USA Hardcore:
1. On the Front Line
2. Pride & Loyalty
3. Military Issue
4. Anti-Poison
5. My Stance
6. Age of Unrest
7. Slam II
8. Song and Dance
9. The End
10. Debt Not Repaid
11. In the Night
Freedom: Pre-order USA Hardcore
Written by Tom Robertson – Original article published on By A Thread
Legends Arising 