TERROR – Keepers of the Faith

“All you kids out there: Always keep the faith!”

Terror has been one of those bands you either loved or hated ever since they started. Since the release of their first “real” LP, more and more of their early fans have turned their back on them, while they drew more new kids to their shows, which, unfortunately, mostly were bigger tours with shitty metal bands (OK, “metalcore”, at least that’s what they’d like to be called). Their last LP, “The Damned, The Shamned”, was taking their sound into a more metal direction than the previous records, but still didn’t sound like any of the bands they were known to tour with, even though some idiots would want you to believe that.

Now, 2 years later and after a rather old school (street) marketing approach, they dropped what many believe to be THE hardcore record of 2010, “Keepers Of The Faith” along with a merchandise line that can only be described as “complete” and using classic hardcore imagery. They also posted daily updates on their pickrset site while they were in the studio and in the days before the record dropped.

While the CD was released on Century Media, Reaper Records once again did the vinyl version and took care of all the details. You have to see the booklet for this one yourself, trust me. I still get pissed about the live pic they used in the booklet, though. It was taken at a show which took place 10 minutes from my apartment, and I wasn’t there cause I had to leave for vacation about 3 hours after the show ended, so I couldn’t go to what many believe to be their best show since their first euro tour. Tough luck… which changed yesterday, ‘cause the only club date they are playing on their current tour is again in that club, ha!

So far so good, but what about the music, you might ask? This record is a straight up banger, their best record since the “Lowest Of The Low” 10’’/MCD. Sure, it’s filled with metal riffs, but the song structures mostly are in the classic hardcore vein, just like the lyrics. No one would expect Scott to write essay-like lyrics, and most of these songs remain within the usual topics, besides “Shattered”, which really reminds me of Death Threat’s “you’re the one”, but since Scott mentions Death Threat in his liner notes, that influence is more than obvious. Besides the crushing, fast tracks you’d expect from Terror, there’s also “only death”, which sounds like they took a Motörhead song and made it their own, straight up Metal worship, and “you’re caught”, featuring the most melodic sing along they’ve written so far. “Stick Tight”, a song which’s title is obviously a nod to Stigmata, was the first song they put online for this LP, and a good indicator of what you can expect from this LP. This just might turn out to be the record of the year for me, even tough the new Bitter End LP is right up there as well and there’s still a new Madball record coming up in October. The only letdown: there’s 2 bonus tracks on the CD, but at least on of them, a cover of SubZero’s “boxed in”, was already put out on the advance 7’’. So, there’s just one question left: are you a keeper of the faith?

by Fabian Dünkelmann who runs the tape label Save My Soul Records