Quickly becoming one of the top names is hardcore today, Terror just released their sophomore release One With the Underdogs. Now signed to Trustkill Records, Terror is waging a full frontal on today's hardcore scene, while staying true to old school roots, with a solid sound, and much better production than their previous release. The album starts brutal as ever with the title track "One With the Underdogs." This is one of the best tracks on the album, very chugga chug sound. Braking down into a full out breakdown that will tear you face off. This is shorter song, geez I wish they were longer. Their next song "Keep Your Mouth Shut" another great song, starts with blast beats, and unifies vocals. Ends with a devastating breakdown rung in with "KEEP YOU MOUTH SHUT, AND WORRY ABOUT YOURSELF!" number three "Less Than Zero" has a brutal riff, excellent drumming, and a almost doom sounding bass line. Yet another brutal fist swinging breakdown. The fourth track "Are We Alive?" definitely and old school song. Very fast paced song with a great pit breakdown at the end. "Overcome" my favorite song on the album, leads in with a nice little riff. Shifting into a terrific array of unified vocals, and some of the best lyrics I have heard in a while. This is where you really start to appreciate the vocals, very clear, and loud. The next track "Spit My Rage," has a fucking brutal riff, blast beat drums, and the best pit breakdown they could muster, this is a really great live band may I add. This is that song you go in as hard as possible to number seven "No One Cares," another short one, pretty much holds the same structure throughout the whole song. Pulsing drumming, thrashy riffs, and a great array of screams and roars. Number eight is another slow chunky pit song. Driven by the repeated chorus "NOT THIS TIME!" this song is that song you play when you're beating the piss out of someone. This literally has a beat you could break faces to. Number nine; the shortest track on the album is very fast, old school chug chug song. Definitely a circle pit song. This song also has very notable background vocals. The tenth song on the album has a really Agnostic Front sound to it. Thick sounding bass lines slow paced chorus, and a great array of throat exercises if you wish to sing along. Next we have "All I've Got" an ode to hardcore. This is another fast old school song. With a change pace breakdown at the end, great lyrics, and awesome guitar. The album is definitely a hardcore album. Succeeding where many large names in the scene have failed. Staying true to your roots. This is an excellent live band, and I think this band deserves much more attention within the hardcore scene. This album will surely set them aside from all the sellouts. The ultimately positive messages on this album are fucking great. I love the breakdowns, and how loud the vocals are. He's screaming the whole time, yet you can still understand every word he says. A large rarity in heavy music today. I wish all bands had a singer capable of this. You can even hear the vocals clear live. If you like true hardcore check this one out. My favorite album this year, without a doubt.

There's something so refreshing about Terror. Maybe it's the fact that the L.A. outfit calls itself a hardcore band and actually plays hardcore. There's no screaming over metal riffs to be found here. This is traditional hardcore - the kind that Sick Of It All, Agnostic Front and Cro-Mags established at CBGB Sunday matinees back in the day, the kind that Madball kept alive in the '90s and the kind Hatebreed continues to push into the mainstream and beyond. Formed by formey Buried Alive/Despair throat Scott Vogel, One With The Underdogs is "meta hardcore" which is to say, it's hardcore about hardcore made for the people, about the people and by the people. The riffs that dot One With The Underdogs sound slightly less beefy, though just as enraged as anything you'd find on a Madball disc. The breakdowns are aplenty and ripe for the circle pits. Vogel's lyrics are intentionally straight forward. Social ills and scene politics get equal face time on the album. Lyrics like, "And those so quick to judge / With the mouthful of shit / You feed to everyone," and, "Born with nothing / And that was most of u / Raised in unemployment lines / Grew inside of domestic crimes," make clear that Vogel unearthed hardcore in his youth as a safe haven from the hells of daily life and wants scenesters, both new and old, to remember where they come from and why this scene evolved in the first place, all the while playing a fancy-free style. Hardcore started out as sonically similar to punk, then morphed into metal [read: Slayer riffs] with screaming over top... or at least the "term" did. Terror puts both the "hard" and the "core" back into hardcore.

"Terror has established themselves as forerunners of the new wave in heavy music". I can still remember the day in February 2003 when I got this CD from an American band I did not know then. That band was called Terror and the CD, as you might know, "Lowest of the Low". The quotation above is taken from the bio that came along with it, the minute I read that I thought they were just exaggerating a lot, well, I was wrong. The first notes of the record blew me away; it gave me a feeling only a few bands have the ability to give me. After that things for Terror went fast, a small trip down memory lane: People were enthusiastic, people were talking about Terror, you could not open a magazine without seeing those faces, any compilation around featured Terror, it seemed. Concluding: Terror was a hype and they still are. The day they played with Biohazard, among others, in a big concert hall in Hardenberg Terror showed they deserved all the coverage. It was not at all legendary, but the thing that made it worth was the fact that Scott Vogel, singer, jumped off the high stage and sang a few songs in the empty mosh area to get the public moving, how many bands do that these days? The live shows that followed were of a whole different order; they raised the roof of "De Goudvishal", their Dutch-HQ, multiple times and although you could not see anything because of all the arms and legs flying in the air Terror kept asking for more stage-dives, at the second show the fire-alarm rang. Not long after the release of "Lowest of the Low" a split with Ringworm (In the Dead Manshand series) followed as well as a live 3-way split 7" with The Promise and Plan of Attack on Organized Crime Records that managed to catch the live-performance of Terror quite well. To keep the eagerly awaiting growing fan base satisfied a Dag Nasty (What can I say) cover was put on their site. But then, the real waiting began. A few days before I went on vacation to beautiful France a Pitfather-colleague E-mailed me he received a CD from Terror from Roadrunner Records but that he couldn't do anything with it. The minute I read it I went spastic; I couldn't type any except "give it, now!!!!" Fortunately for me he did. Before I got the promo copy I already Pre-ordered the real thing on the Trustkill website, but dude, I got to have this before anybody else did. The postman delivered the CD just in time for me to take abroad; I listened to it on the road in Germany, in nice Swiss and all the way to the campsite in this place called Annecy. People always say the second record is an important record for a band, any band, and I think the people who say that are right. What to expect from the second Terror, I went philosophical about that and that does not happen much. Is any band capable to release a second album as aggressive as "Lowest of the Low"? Would that be a good choice? To start with the first question; no, a band, even Terror, I not capable to release an album as aggressive as their first. The answer to the second question is also a no. "One With the Underdogs" is far less aggressive than "Lowest of the Low" but I see that as a good thing because a band like Terror should reinvent themselves all the time to keep focus on them and to please the crowd, the crowd that just as easy kisses your ass as hit you in the face. The other difference from their first effort is the production that is much more balanced which makes all the instruments, including bass, come out better. Terror also grew into songwriting, tracks like "Keep your Mouth Shut" and "Less Than Zero" are both unquestionable Terror songs but differ more from each other than the songs on their debut. Another song that differs from the rest is the ninth track "Crushed by the Truth" (with guest vocals by Hard-Cory), a song in the best Hardcore tradition; fast, basic and full of moral. I personally can't really relate to the lyrics about miserable childhood and lack of attention but fortunately also lyrics about fakes in the scene, drugs and the overall negativity in the world are present. New elements in the music of Terror are the guest appearances by Lord Ezec, the above mentioned Hard-Corey but also Freddie Madball and Jamey Hatebreed. Indeed, singers from bands which were off influence on Terror. The fact those two gentlemen in particular lent their capabilities to a relative new band says enough. The artwork this time looks well taken care of, especially when compared to the "artwork" featured on "Lowest of the Low". It is colorful without having anything to do with happiness and things as un-hardcore as that. It has cool bands photo's and a tied up "underdog" on the cover and all the lyrics and other less useful information. I, as lover of the product, applaud the choice to make thing less nihilistic. I realize this review is getting a bit long now, so I will only say a couple of things. Although this CD is lot less in-your-face than "Lowest of the Low" and I did not get the feeling I got when I first put that record on I must conclude "One With the Underdogs" is a better album, musically and lyrically but also in production and finishing touche. Songs, not including the already mentioned, like "Not this time", "All I've Got" and "Find My Way" are songs that are instant classics in the genre. I hope with my entire hearth the support of Roadrunner Records in Europe will bring Terror the respect and sales they deserve. I know that means Terror will only play the bigger stages and we will probably not see them in "De Goudvishal" anymore and they will maybe reach the same level of popularity as Hatebreed but damn, if there is one band that deserves that it is Terror. "One With The Underdogs" makes Agnostic Fronts "Victim in Pain" sound like "Old McDonald had a farm" and Madball's "Set if Off" like "Oops They Did It Again".

Oh, I'm just tingling with excitement over One With the Underdogs. Please try to refrain from imagining what it looks like when I tingle with excitement. When I first heard Terror, I was immediately enamored. These dudes are hardcore to the bone. Their music is hardcore, their lyrics are about being hardcore, and it's all just fantastic. With raw emotional power and full on driving force, Terror brings all of that old school madness back to the table. Even the lyrics are old school. Anthems abound about struggling against the system, being driven to overcome, and (we all saw it coming) not caring about what other people think. Perhaps you're tired of these often-overused themes. Also, be warned: the songs are all pretty short, so you don't get all tasty Terror you'd probably like. But that's about it for flaws. Terror is mosh friendly, pleasant to the blasted out ear of the hardcore veteran, and overall a fine fine band. There should be so much more to say about Terror, but alas, I think that about covers it.

Fuck yeah, kids! Hardcore. Real hardcore. This is the second release from Terror, an their first full-length. Terror features Scott Vogel, formerly of Buried Alive and Despair, on vocals and he's lost neither power nor conviction. This has that Syracuse sound all the way; it's not as heavy as the '90s New York sound made popular by 25 Ta Life and Madball, but it isn't Youth Crew either. Terror is very similar to Most Precious Blood, but I think Scott is a better vocalist than Rob the songs are slightly faster, and Scott has an undeniable venom in his rants. The gang vocals are in full effect, and when it comes to moshing beatdown parts, I would put these guys up against anyone. Terror is on tour with Unearth and Remembering Never right now, which promises to be one of the best Hardcore tours in the recent memory-don't miss that, or this album.

It doesn't take the sticker on the front of Terror's debut full-length album One With the Underdogs (which boasts proudly 'This Is Real Hardcore!') to know that this band is the real deal. Formed in 2000, the five piece Los Angeles act (who are ex-Buried Alive / Despair / Slugfest vocalist Scott Vogel, guitarist Frank '3Gun' Novinec, ex-Sworn Vengeance/First Blood guitarist Doug Weber, First Blood bassist Carl Schwartz, ex-Carry On drummer Nick Jett and ex-Carry On guitarist Todd Jones who still contributed to the group, although no longer a full time member) have certainly risen up in the hardcore ranks with the release of several seven inch singles and their nine track mini album Lowest Of The Lo' on Bridge Nine Records in 2003. First impressions will have most thinking that this hardcore crew is something of a supergroup within the scene, but it couldn't be anything further from the truth. The members are certainly worthy of the title, but there's no sign of the overblown or wasted here. This is as uncompromising and authentic sounding as hardcore gets, which in recent times is something of a rarity. Picking p from where their previous release left off, the title track 'One With The Underdogs' is the first to show that the line up shuffles have changed none of their aggressive attack, with only the production (handles by Death By Stereo's Paul Miner) proving to be a vast improvement for the band. 'Keep Your Mouth Shut', 'Less Than Zero' and 'Are We Alive?' combine basic hardcore songs with plenty of monumental breakdowns, while the menacing 'Overcome' crushing in it's simplicity (both lyrically and musically) alongside Vogel's devastating vocals. Kicking off the albums many guest appearances is Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta and Sharkhead / Crown of Thornz's Lord Ezec on the speed inspired delivery of 'Split My Rage', while Internal Affair's Hard Corey helps out on the extremely short 'Crushed By The Truth'. Jett's drumming on the slower paced 'Not This Time' is certainly effective, while 'Out Of My Face' and 'All I've Got' might vary in tempo, but stay true to the bands hardcore roots. Madball/Hazen St.'s Freddie Cricien lends a helping vocal hand to 'Find My Way' before Terror seal off the album with 'Enemies In Sight' (along with the unreleased number 'Let The Best Bring The Best'). Taking the old school ethic and template laid down by acts such as Agnostic Front, Madball and Cro-Mags, Terror show that you can be hardcore, without bowing down to popular trends like metalcore to get the message out. Terror's One With The Underdogs is as genuine and real as it gets.

Melding extreme metal riffs with the energy of old-school punksters like Agnostic Front, Terror live up to their name as one of the hardest-working bands in hardcore. They also manage to crush a year's worth of chord, key and tempo changes into barely 30 minutes of music, with bassist Chris Schwartz anchoring the chaos with his surprisingly warm tone.

The riffs scream "metal", the song lengths beg to differ. Terror call themselves hardcore, however, and on their snarling full-length debut they spit out 14 tracks in less than 30 minutes. The band's fist-flying fury is fuelled by a potent well-distilled rage - both lyrical and musical. There is absolute no flash here, just a heads down assault with deadly intent. Freddy Cricien from Madball and Jamey Jasta from Hatebreed guest on a couple of tracks for an added dose of authenticity, but the truth is those dudes don't add anything to the mix that isn't already there. I'd take Terror over punk metal pretenders like Amen any day.

I'm not really sure how Terror's One With The Underdogs, one of the biggest hardcore releases of 2004 managed to go this long without being reviewed. I know for me personally, this was one of the releases I was anticipating most highly and despite the fact that this year saw the release of some tremendous albums, this record holds a relatively high place among the best records released this year. Anyone who calls themselves a fan of real hardcore understands how Terror quickly rose to become one of the most universally appreciated bands in the business. A combination of constant touring, strong demo recordings and street cred helped get the name out there and the release of their first EP on Bridge Nine Records proved that they were a force to be reckoned with. That's why it came as a shock to some that Terror decided to release their follow up with Trustkill Records, a label that seems to have been venturing further and further from traditional hardcore in recent years. While it is tempting to make comparisons for those who haven't heard Terror, all you really need to know is that they play hardcore the only way it should ever be played: fast, loud and angry. Scott Vogel's vocal stylings should sound incredibly familiar to any fans of Buried Alive or Despair, as he fronted both of these influential bands. The vocals of Freddy Madball, Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, Ezec of Skarhead and Cory of Internal Affairs all enhance the songs that they appear on, and also give an added sense of continuity within hardcore. Terror, in their short existence, already seem to have influenced much of the new wave of streamlined, no-frills hardcore that has become so prevalent in the last two years. It's not necessarily that they did it first or even that the idea is so revolutionary, but they just do it better than just about anyone else. Where some bands have that one song that becomes their signature, Terror's songs are almost uniformly solid. I've listened to this disc countless times, and despite the frequent highlights, I can't identify a "low" point song-wise. Although many of the songs themselves tread familiar lyrical ground, I do have to commend Vogel on what seems to be an effort to minimize unnecessary profanity. The word "fuck" still pops up every now and then, but the overall strength of the lyrics has grown so much that it actually seems to carry some meaning here, as opposed to on "Lowest of the Low" where it seemed to be a convenient filler word. These lyrics aren't necessarily prize-winning poetry, but they really don't need to be. The sentiments here often resemble some of the pithy lyrics I have often criticized in hardcore records, but it's hard to argue with the sort of devotion these guys have shown, particularly Vogel and current guitarist Frank Novinec of Ringworm. When you've been around as long as these guys, you can call bullshit on the trend-jumpers and tout your own ability to stay true. Lots of bands talk big about hardcore; these guys have lived it for over a decade. The place where One With The Underdogs didn't live up to Lowest of the Low for me was in the overall sound and production of the record. While the lyrics and songs themselves were much stronger, the record sounds a little thin compared to their previous record. While I'm personally of the opinion that no one can capture low end in a metal or hardcore record quite like Bill Korecky, the band and Paul Miner have still done a good job here. It's not bad by any means -- just slightly less powerful. I'm not sure I really "get" the concept of the artwork, but it looks pretty damn cool and the "vinyl" CD was a fun, albeit goofy, bonus. Bottom Line: I'm sick of hearing people say Terror are over-rated. While there were hardcore records I've liked better this year, I can't really say that there is a hardcore band currently playing that's any better. One With The Underdogs is a powerhouse hardcore record by a band that is committed to making great music, and it shows in every record and live performance I've ever witnessed. These songs will make you want to spinkick the douchebag in his girlfriend's jeans in the face, and these lyrics will inspire you to mosh, headwalk and fingerpoint. This is hardcore done right.

Flawlessly delivered LA hardcore. THE expectancy level surrounding Terror's debut full-length release for Trustkill Records has been nothing short of palpable in underground hardcore circles over the past 12 months. However on the evidence of "one with the underdogs," it's pretty easy to see what all the fuss is about. Crushing riff followed by crushing riff, no to mention satisfyingly heavy breakdowns in all the right places - it's exactly what you'd expect from a high quality on-the-money contemporary hardcore album. And with big name guest appearances from the like of Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta and Madball's Freddy Cricien "one with..." goes that little step further to show the wheat form the chaff in a genre, which, of late, has become increasingly sterile. Flawlessly delivered and soundly produced stuff.

I haven't heard an album which defined true hardcore as well as Terror's One With the Underdogs. The California band with the East Coast attitude has been around the country with leaders like Throwdown, Hatebreed, and Most Precious Blood. Their previous release, Lowest of the Low, established them as a band on the rise and recent tours with Sick Of It All and now Hatebreed validates their arrival. If you want to find Terror's inspiration, look no further than originators like Madball, Agnostic Front, and the Cro Mags. Don't get me wrong. You won't be thinking you're living in 1987 all over again, Terror are relevant for today. Noteworthy guest appearances come courtesy of Madball/ Hazen Street's Freddy Cricien and Hatebreed Jamey Jasta ("Spit My Rage"). One With the Underdogs is a very predictable album, there are no surprises, there is no trend- this is hardcore and there's no other way to describe Terror. Album Score: 7 out of 10

To say Terror has taken the scene by storm is an understatement. In two years, this band has gone from a crossing of the coasts project from Todd Jones of Carry On fame and Scott Vogel, former Buried Alive/Despair frontman to one of the biggest hardcore bands today. The "return to the roots" approach, both musically in the form of pure, raw, untamed hardcore and an amazing work ethic that includes non stop touring, has not only put Terror at the top of most fan and critic lists, but inspired a slew of bands/kids who, through this five piece, are discovering the real (or is that raw?) deal classics including Agnostic Front, Madball, Leeway, Merauder, and many more. Like American Nightmare before them, Terror are showing the doubtful that there is still a lot of life left in high fives, stage dives and keeping your hood up. This is definitely encapsulated perfectly with their second full length and first for Trustkill, "One With The Underdogs." Vogel, ex- Carry On/Piece By Piece drummer Nick Jett, Ringworm axman Frank "3 Gun" Novinec and the double barrel assault of former Sworn Vengeance/current First Blood members, Doug Weber and Carl Schwartz, on guitar and bass respectively mean business, and this album is adequate proof. Kicking the door in with the title track, the momentum doesn't stop even for a second, as each song has both guns blazing. From the bass driven "Less Than Zero" to the Madball-ish "Overcome," straight into the uberangry "Out Of My Face," Terror shows they sure know how to "spit their rage." The lyrics are life affirming and very positive in general, though they are not above cutting down all fakes, posers and wannabe scene saviors. Recorded @ Sound City w/ Paul Miner (Death By Stereo) and Nick Jetts' own studio, Bloodtracks, you definitely get your dollars worth in terms of sound quality. Added value comes with guest spots from Jamey Hatebreed, Freddy Cricien, and Lord Ezec aka Danny Diablo. My only dislike here was the albums front and back artwork. I just didn't think it fit the band. I'm also sad to see Todd Jones depart from writing/touring with Terror, but I have no doubts that the band will do great, even without his help. Trustkill put a large sticker on the outside of this album that states: This Is Real Hardcore. Damn straight.

Trustkill is such a hot label right now that it seems like the hardcore community devours anything they put out. This prompts one to think about the label's history and re-discover the bands and releases that put Trustkill on the map. Upon re-visiting records like Harvest's Transitions and Poison The Well's The Opposite Of December, one's reminded of how acts like these gave hardcore a drastic makeover and swiftly broadened its horizons. Listening to recent Trustkill releases like Open Hand and ArmsBendBack hardly stirs the same emotions. Overproduction has deafened the personality that so many of the label's releases once had. In the case of the new Terror record, it's unpretentious, old-school-hardcore-meets-new-school-breakdowns all the way. The style definitely has the potential to inspire some nasty pits. Its thick production actually works to its advantage, giving it some extra crunch to nod your head to. Although the record relies heavily on the styles that bands like Hatebreed and Stretch Arm Strong have made popular, it still retains its own unique attitude. Compared to other aggressive records released recently, this is at least a step in the right direction for both hardcore and Trustkill.

Scary, in a good way: LA hardcore hellions Terror return with several firsts: One With The Underdogs is their first full-length effort (despite its 32:34 running time); it's their first for the venerable Trustkill label, and it's their first with new bass player Carl Schwartz. With this much good and bad stress, lesser bands would crumble, but Terror continues, er, terrorizing without missing a beat. Of course, they're old pros: singer Scott Vogel has been down this road before with Despair and Buried Alive. With Terror, Vogel and crew- Schwartz, drummer Nick Jett, guitarists Doug Weber and Frank "3 Gun" Novinc- plow through 13 new songs (14 if you count the song hidden at the end of the disc) of tightly coiled power; each track is a depth charge of righteous anger. The title cut opens with the appropriate speed and a guitar chug; "Are We Alive?" careens along at 100 mph before downshifting to a half-time breakdown; "Spit My Rage" features guest vocals from Jamie Jasta and Lord Ezec, but Vogel could've handled the chores solo. Terror's hardcore is not everyone's cup of tea, so folks who don't care for this stuff would be hard pressed to differentiate one song from the next. But for those who do get it, One With The Underdogs is a keeper.

2004 has definitely been a year of great hardcore releases. We've had exceptional releases from the likes of Champion, Blacklisted, Blood for Blood, and Death Threat. Here though, we have the king of them all. Terror have really outdone themselves with "One With the Underdogs," taking notes from the likes of Madball and The Cro-Mags to make one of the best metallic hardcore releases in recent years. Most hardcore enthusiasts scoff at the thought of such a well produced album as this, but I personally think its great. You can only wonder what classic hardcore albums would've sounded like with production this good. This album is pure aggression from beginning to the end. The adrenaline level does not drop until the very last note. From songs about struggling to overcome life's obstacles to songs about friends going downhill due to drug use, scott vogel takes a very "straight to the point" approach in his lyrics that'll have you shouting along to anthems of inner strength like "Had to scratch and fight/to stay on my feet/with a heart made of steel/i smash through everything'/always against the odds/one with the underdogs." The music is very reminiscent of Madball and of course Vogel's old band Buried Alive, delivering punishing riffs and pounding drums that'll have you on the floor two stepping and punching the floor in no time. The album even features guest appearances from Madball frontman Freddy Cricien and Hatebreed's own Jamey Jasta, lending their own vocal style to this soon to be classic release. In a time when kids are exposed to hardcore thinking that hardcore is all about wearing girl's pants and keeping their hair nice, Terror comes blasting through showing them how real hardcore is done. As Scott Vogel says at the end of the album, "I hope by now you know where this is coming from/30 long years and i'm still core as fuck/time to shut you down put you in check/smash the truth in your face, and send you on your way," and that exactly what they did.

Much-loved hardcore stalwarts make their Trustkill debut felt. Hard. With their debut EP shifting over twenty thousand copies Stateside and a ton of Euro imports too, it just goes to show that, while haircuts, clean vocals and metal riffs may be prevalent now, old school hardcore never died. It just got better. Moving from Bridge 9 to Trustkill, "one with the underdogs" is a snarling pit-bull of an album straight out of the gate. Coherent, sharp, venomous and to the point, "one..." is a spin kick to the back of the head of those masquerading as "hardcore" today. Former Buried Alive/Despair front man Scott Vogel's vocals are mesmerizing violent, roaring out calls-to-arms with a passionate, rallying voice and ably backed by a bludgeoning full frontal musical assault that throws in too many beat downs to count.

Alongside hardcore's current tendencies towards reaching out to other genres for motivation (Swedish melodic death meal, goth or jazz are all recent inspirations) and reaping the ewards that this kind of cross-pollination is sowing, there remains a solid contingent, led both commercially and spiritually by Hatebreed, which sees tradition as the true hardcore path to be trodden. Los Angeles quintet Terror, they of the notoriously brutal live performances, are shaping up to be another of trad-hardcore's most fearsome current representatives, and second album One With The Underdogs more than lives up to their reputation. From the album title, to the dank, monochrome sepia artwork, to the CD itself - which looks like a 12-inch LP - to the actual music, this album is utilitarian metallic hardcore. As to be expected, Slayer is a major point of musical inspiration, but unlike Hatebreed (note: ubiquitous frontman Jamey Jasta makes a guest appearance on "Spit My Rage"), whose single-mindedness can sometimes exasperate, Terror's commitment to old school hardcore stalwarts like Agnostic Front gives their onslaught at least a smattering of character. And though the guitar riffage is arguably excessively samey throughout. Carl Schwartz's abrasive basswork breaks things up, shining through here and there. You want beatdowns? One With The Underdogs delivers them in spades, in all its 32-minute glory. The bottom line is this: you're not going to get Adam Dutkiewicz-style histrionics, Dillinger-esque jazz breaks or Bleeding Through-style broken-heartcore. This one is for those committed to Brutality, Inc.

A record as direct, obvious and unpretentious as 'One With The Underdogs' could not appear at a better time; the more direct pure-breed of hardcore is experiencing a renaissance in popularity as the metalcore mongrel becomes evermore trite and melodic hardcore becomes more mainstream and sanitized. When others are running to catch the trend or the paycheck, Terror are staying put and burning with aggression, steel and unbridled determination. Given voice by hardcore stalwart Scott Vogel, a man whose bark helped define influential bands Despair and Buried Alive. Terror maraud through a record that harks back to the energy of Madball and Agnostic Front whilst maintaining the modern punch and intensity of everyone's favorite breakdown authors, Hatebreed. Hardcore done this well does not need a weakly sung verse or a guitar solo in the bridge, Terror know this and proudly fly the flag. Two years ago it was 10 scene points if you had a Terror shirt on when you hit the pit, but an album of this obvious quality will have scenesters burning their shirts as the band are poised to break out and over the top with this offering. 'One With The Underdogs' is a paean of pathos aimed straight at the scene; it will make converts of the unbelievers too.

It's sort of an odd example of social commentary when Trustkill has to slap "THIS IS REAL HARDCORE!" sticker on the front cover of TERROR's "One With the Underdogs," but at the same time, I absolutely understand the point that is being is made. TERROR, as a musical entity, is not out playing music to be your friend; is not writing songs to 'get the girl,' and fuck no, TERROR is not concerned about dancin' the night away. "One for the Underdogs" is a release that pummels right from the start and doesn't let up with its bulldozing direction for a brisk, brutalizing 25 minutes. TERROR, unfortunately, is part of a dying breed of national hardcore bands that can still pull this old-school style off, and every day, it feels like their company gets smaller and smaller. On the band's debut release for Trustkill, and second full-length overall (assuming "Lowest of the Low" passes full-length muster), what you get with "One for The Underdogs" is exactly what one would expect from Scott Vogel and company. Upfront, hard-hitting, blood-spitting, venomous fury, pushed further by the blessing of modern recording qualities. Although some will undoubtedly claim that this disc is too well-produced (especially compared to the audio blur that is "Lowest of the Low") and too polished for what "real hardcore" has to sound like, I more or less find myself dreaming about what some of the early SICK OF IT ALL or CRO-MAGS releases would have sounded like if recorded under these conditions. For sure - the raw power and aggresion would be almost deafening. With dual guitars a blazin' and machine-gun tight drumming dominating much of this release, at times, it makes one wonder how at all Vogel is able to rise above the chaos, but much like HATEBREED's Jamey Jasta, Vogel manages to stay one-step ahead. On head turners like "Spit My Rage," and "All I've Got," Vogel's investment in hardcore music (spanning through successful stints in DESPAIR and BURIED ALIVE) bubbles over into uncontainable momentum. "One of the Underdogs" constantly surges back and forth with towering waves of guitar chuggs and wild breakdowns, but it never loses sight of the 'keep it simple' formula. Completing this release is some of the most impressive artwork that I have ever seen. Besides having an insert booklet was some great live photos, the actual CD is plated with vinyl on the face-side and is made to look like a 33 rpm record. Apparently this is the "limited edition" version of the release, but I don't believe that its distribution is all that small. There's no foolin' about what goes into a TERROR release - blood, sweat, and a whole lot of heart. "Real hardcore's" light may be shining a little dimmer these days, at least looking down from the surface of a very confused subculture, but for those whose passion has never been second guessed, the flame burns just as hot.

I should say from the off that I'm a big fan of Terror, so any hopes of an unbiased review should go straight out of the window right now. Nonetheless, I will do my best to be objective.� Terror are a bunch of hard bastards who formed an old school hardcore band a couple of years ago, and promptly released a series of MCDs and EPs. In 2004, Terror are widely recognised as one of the best contemporary hardcore acts in the world. With a number of Stateside tours under their belts, and a number of recent appearances in Europe (including the Le Mans FuryFest a couple of months ago), Terror are a band who are not afraid of working their arses off to get ahead in life. If only this were the case with more bands. If Terror's DIY work ethic marks them down as worth a look, their music should make them one of your new favourite bands. The sort of band (having seen them live for the first time, and not heard any of their stuff) whose merchandise you would buy immediately, simply because you would have just seen one of the most powerful bands you had ever seen. Reminiscent of the good ol' days, namely of bands like Youth of Today, SOIA, and the Cro-Mags, 'One With The Underdogs' sees Terror continue where they left off from their last split with Ringworm; treading the path of brutal hardcore like it should be done. From the opening chugging chords of the title track, you know this isn't going to be pretty. You can hear the anguish in Scott Vogel's voice, and when he spits 'Had to scratch and fight/ Just to stay on my feet/ With a heart made of steel/ I smashed through everything', you can hear the bile in the back of his throat, you can feel his pain, and, more than anything else, you can feel yourself getting ready to deck the next person you see. You wouldn't think that the amount of venom put into the first couple of songs could possibly continue, but it does. You wouldn't think that the amount of pulverising riffs on display could be sustained, but they are. In fact, it's hard to imagine what happened to these guys in their childhoods that prompted them to create music with such...force.� Guest vocals come courtesy of Jamey Jasta and Danny Diablo on 'Spit My Rage', my personal highlight if I had to pick one, though I enjoyed every single moment of this record. It really wouldn't be a challenge to list all the things that I enjoy about this album, because all I'd have to do would be to get my thesaurus out and look up numerous and varied ways of saying 'quality'. I put this album right up there next to 'Blood, Sweat and No Tears', 'Set It Off' and 'The Truth Hurts'. That's how good it is. Buy this album, watch Enter The Dragon, and start a pit in your room.

Terror knows its old-school playbook well. The band has apparently read up on Black Flag and opted to unwaveringly follow the back-to-basics hardcore blueprint. On One With The Underdogs, Terror keeps its stripped-down music fast and loud and its teeth-gnashing songs short and sweet. Fans of Agnostic Front and Madball will be delighted to hear a band zealously keeping the East Coast hardcore tradition alive. In fact, Terror seems to gleefully embrace the 7-inch era days of hardcore with a limited-edition run of Underdogs that's made to look like vinyl. But non-purists might look past the more-hardcore-than-thou finger-pointing and find themselves looking for something more than a top-shelf Age Of Quarrel retread.

As critical as I am about anything hardcore, Terror is one of only a handful of bands who are doing things the right way. This five-man wrecking crew is a breath of fresh air into a stale and cliched tough-guy scene. Unlike many of its weak peers, Terror's side of the game is not obscenity or intimidation. Let's face it, it is not how many "fuck you's" are in your songs or how big and muscular you are, it is about honesty and credibility, and Terror fills both requirements with "what you see is what you get" fiery attitude played by proven LA scene veterans and a New York legend, ex-Buried Alive singer Scott Vogel. One With the Underdogs puts a modern spin on a well-proven formula the likes of Cro-Mags and Agnostic Front ruled moshpits with in late 80s. This is gritty, fast paced hardcore with plenty of breakdowns. Sounds pretty conventional, right? Maybe, but read on. To simply put it, what everyone else does, Terror does better. Riff for riff, note for note, lyric for lyric, Vogel and Co. reign supreme over competition because Terror comes off real! Don't get me wrong, there is still plenty of unnecessary ruffian machismo here but compared to bands like Hoods and Until the End, Terror does not make me chuckle. On the contrary, Terror becomes a band to watch for some near future greatness because One With the Underdogs is the best thing since Satisfaction is the Death of Desire.

The one everyone's been waiting for finally drops, but it didn't really even take them that long at all. I tell you, any band with Vogal wastes no time whatsoever in delivering carpet bombing style attacks of hardcore, both in touring and releasing material. This release varies it a bit for the SoCal powerhouse, taking a bit away from the fast, to throwing in more breakdown slow. I really preferred the demo stuff that was fast, fast, fast. While you still get a lot of quick-picking, almost into Anthrax-realms of thrashing, there just seems to be more of an emphasis on schooling kids on the benefits of new school Madball. I'll take either really and Terror deliver. "Spit My Rage" might possibly be the most pissed off song this year, and this is probably the best thing Trustkill will put out all year too.

Last year, the boys of Terror hit the hardcore scene in the face with a snow shovel when they released the viciously brutal Lowest of the Low. Now, a little over a year later and a new label under their belt, Terror gives a second stab into the world of hardcore with One With The Underdogs. Now, let's face it, if you don't like tough-guy moshcore, then don't pick up this album. You will find it to be the epitome of everything you hate about tough-guy moshcore. Terror in themselves are not really that inventive of a band, they just make music that is about as pleasant to listen to as getting hit by cars "Meet Joe Black" style. Yet, at the same time, for people that can tolerate the tough-guy moshcore sound, Terror does a pretty good job of making it good. In Lowest of the Low they reached new levels of simplistic, but still incredibly brutal, hardcore. In One With The Underdogs they didn't try to make it anymore brutal, but in the end, they ended up with an album fifty times as raw as their debut. The opening title track is pure heavy hitting hardcore. Simple guitar riffs, fast drumming, prominent bass, and Scott Vogel's perfect genre scream. Actually, it is not really a scream more so as it is a very loud, very angry yell. The production of the album showcases his yell much better than Lowest of the Low. The vocals are a huge improvement over the debut from all the band members. This time around, Terror employs the traditional "every-band-member-yells-two-words-that-live-the-audience-can-easily-scream-and-pump-fist-to." In songs like "Crushed by the Truth," this technique completely makes the song as a frantic "not me" is yelled after about 1.5 seconds of Vogel's yell. It all builds up to a collective "crushed by the truth" from everyone, and the climax of the short and intense song is made complete by this vocal bombardment. Speaking of vocals, a very odd aspect of the album for me was the guest appearances. Seemingly usually reserved for the latest commercial rap single, Terror employed the use of Jamie Jasta, Lord Ezec, Hard Cory, and Freddy Cricien on various songs. The end result is a little bit disconcerting. I have never been a huge fan of guest vocals, especially when they are singing verses instead of just doing random backing vocals. But on songs like "Spit My Rage," the song is hurt by the guest appearance of Jamie Jasta, mainly because his scream doesn't sound nearly as cool as Vogel's. For the guitars and everything else, it is normal Terror, some songs a little bit sped up, others just designed for a steady head thrashing beat. They throw in a few more guitar hooks this time around. "Not This Time" actually has an intro instead of just launching full on into pure brutality. But when it starts, it maintains the slower beat, relying on what is no more than a simple mosh riff to carry the entire song. Overall, the guitars are a bit more complex than their previous effort, especially on the faster songs like "Are We Alive?" and "Find My Way." The faster songs gain a sort of frantic raw energy that explodes on the standard hardcore mosh riff, where in some instances, the boys of Terror actually use two or three different ones in a row before continuing on with the song. There really isn't that much that is inventive or new about this album. But for fans of the more standard, brutal hardcore, this album is a must. One With The Underdogs may be cliche in some of the lyrics and swagger of the album, but it is so much tougher than the standard tough swagger and so much more intense than the standard expected intensity.

Terror is a Los Angeles based hardcore troupe whose excruciatingly brutal debut 13-track release showcases an old school mentality that so many of today's bands completely miss. Whether it be through the beefy guitar breakdowns found on such pit anthems as "Are We Alive" or the rapid-fire rhythms and seething screams highlighted on "Spit My Rage", Terror is always on point, giving the listener a definitive mainline to aggression. As an added bonus, some of the most familiar voices in hardcore (Jamey Jasta, Lord Ezec, and Freddy Madball) are here to lend support to the cause, laying down some complementary rage in support of the band that has toured with everyone from Sick of it All to Unearth. Reminiscent of the NYHC of the early to mid '90s with a sprinkle of Slayer-esque staccato mayhem and Sepultura's CHAOS AD style headbanging, this quintet have released an album that hardcore kids worldwide will be proud to crank and destroy to.

Somehow, despite a lot of member changes, Terror continue to get better while too many hardcore bands get worse. This offering has a slight metal edge, which has always been missing from past Vogel bands. It's not like they have become All Out War, but there's a little double bass now with some chugga-chugga. Powerful, to the point and easily the best hardcore album Trustkill has ever released.

"This is real hardcore" announces a sticker on the front of this debut full-length from US crew Terror, and, by golly, it doth tell the truth. Having built up a rabid international fanbase through tours alongside the likes of Madball and Hatebreed, '...Underdogs' is a highly anticipated event in extreme circles, the very mention of their name practically inciting a circle pit. And disappoint this does not, its 13 tracks of a masterclass in traditional old school done right. Those familiar with classic genre albums such as 'Set It Off', 'Scratch The Surface' and, of course, 'The Age Of Quarrel' will feel instantly at home within Terror's antagonistic stylings, the quintet's punk-infused pace and bile filled attitude making for a nigh on perfect hardcore release. With enough energy to power a small town, 'One With The Underdogs' is stripped down, danceable, and very, very pissed off. Music to beat your mates up to, as long as you hug them afterwards.

Hardcore is a word that gets thrown around all too many these days. In an age when bands ranging from Killswitch Engage through to Avenged Sevenfold are being labeled hardcore, its getting difficult to find bands who are still thrashing out good old traditional angry hardcore. So step up Terror. 'One With The Underdogs' is the follow up to Terror's highly rated debut 'Lowest Of The Low' and marks their debut recording for Trustkill/Roadrunner and there is no doubt that they mean business with this one. 13 songs clocking at just under the 30-minute mark, I think you have an idea how this is going to sound. Opening track 'One With The Underdogs' confirms the intent straight away, less than 90 seconds of balls out hardcore played at breakneck speed fronted by some seriously face tearing vocals. Even in this 90 seconds, they do find time for the obligatory breakdown segment. Now, hardcore is obviously not known for its diversity and this particular release is no different. Every song goes by pretty much the same structure of speed, chorus, speed, breakdown etc etc. Not that this is an entirely bad thing of course. Guest vocals from Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed fame on the particularly pissed off sounding 'Spit Your Rage' and from Freddy Madball on 'Find My Way' give this album added weight and aggression not to mention some damn good vocal performances. A worthy note goes to the production quality of the album as its fairly polished yet still gritty as hell. As already stated, its 30 minutes of straight up hardcore. There's no messing about, no gimmicks just the music. If this is your bag then I strongly recommend this album.

Accuse Terror vocalist Scott Vogel of many things but he's never been found wanting in his dedication to the ethics of hardcore. Whether it was fronting the previous band Buried Alive or his current outfit, I've seen Vogel in action nearly a dozen times. It doesn't matter if the band is playing a large festival in Germany or a small all-ages venue up the street, each show is a riotous event with the band and the audience feeding off one another. Vogel is a dominative front man, always in control of the crowd and the war going on at the front of and on the stage. Vogel's between-song rhetoric hasn't changed much over the years; he's existed inside the genre without forsaking the politics and personal convictions the music was built upon. However, Terror live and Terror on record are different animals indeed. It's impossible to capture the danger, energy, and exhilaration of aTerror show on tape. On One With The Underdogs, Terror sound like any of the other Northeast flavored hardcore bands currently on Bridge Nine or early Equal Vision. The record rarely changes tempo and the anthems seem dry and uninspired, unlike the band live. The blood and sweat of the band's performance is nowhere to be found. Bands like Hatebreed, Madball, and others have proven the spirit Terror derives its power from can be contained, but it simply isn't on the band's latest release. I understand why people will buy this record and support this band. Terror had remained true to its roots while many of its contemporaries have chosen the easy road of popularity and a certain amount of fame. Seeing the band live is still as dangerous and inspiring as any of the shows you'll read about in Get in the Van. If Terror can't transfer that emotion to record, like Black Flag and others the years have been able to do, the band is likely to go down in musical history like the bands who inspired them to play this style of music in the first place. Rating: 4.1

Uncompromising. If I had to sum up Terror in one word, that would be it. I don't mean this, as it's all too often used, as a synonym for 'unrelenting'. I listen to death metal, so this is a walk in the park in comparison. But I mean this in the true sense of the word. While hardcore bands (especially metalcore bands) jump on bandwagons and adopt fly-by-night trends in order to succeed, Terror has shown that staying consistent can lead to those same results... if you're music solid. It's not about your fucking hairstyle, your clothing and it's definitely not about incorporating bullshit into your music that doesn't belong there, just to make it more accessible. If you're new to Terror, they've taken the old school hardcore style (that I normally hate) and made it more aggressive so that it doesn't sound out of place in today's metal-influenced hardcore scene. So what you get is a mixture of two-stepping and gang vocal parts, but with a nice obligatory breakdown in every song - not too far removed from a band like Madball. And singer Scott Vogel screams his goddamn heart out!!! He doesn't hold anything back. Speaking of Madball, Freddy Cricien does guest vocals on the album, as does Jamey Hatebreed and Lord Ezec. To me, I love this album because of its integrity moreso than the actual music. It seems that as the popularity of Scott Vogel's bands increase, my interest seems to wane. I was a huge Despair fan, I really liked Buried Alive, but I only have a passing interest in Terror. When it comes to straight up hardcore, I'm just not there anymore - but Terror are doing it better than just about everyone else right now. And I appreciate their commitment.

Lace up your Vans, cross your arms, flex your pecs and look tough. Hardcore time kids! One of the years most anticipated hardcore releases, by virtue of a buzz generating debut EP (The Lowest of the Low)and tireless touring, Terror look to stand shoulder to shoulder in brotherly unity with the likes of Hatebreed, Sworn Enemy and Throwdown as well as resurrect the spirits of The Cro-Mags and Agnostic Front-and they succeed. Melding classic power chord laden, anthemic East Coast hardcore with its modern, bull-necked descendant, Terror are no nonsense, no gimmick fist raisers with a knack for pummeling, driving riffs. There's not much to embellish here, as the thirteen bursts of anger and chest pounding self promotion aren't out to reinvent the wheel, just cover the wheel in spit 'n' tattoos and roll it through your town. With guest vocals by Jamey Jasta and Freddy Cricien (Madball), there's no questioning who this effort is aimed at, and it will no doubt hit home like a spin kick to the face. Front man Scott Vogel was valedictorian at the Jamey Jasta School of gruffness, but how else is this message delivered? A Choir? Fuck no, this needs to be in your face, and fuelled by attitude and Vogel fits the bill perfectly. When delivering typically hardcore lines like "OUT OF MY FACE!!!", "I'LL OVERCOME!!!" and "THIS IS ALL I'VE GOT!!!" you can actually hear his neck veins popping. To their credit, Terror is completely devoid of metalcore melodies or harmonies. From the blistering self made anthem of the opening title track to the closer (including the all too popular hidden track) "Enemies in Sight", Terror are relentless in their pit-bull like assault. Although not quite as breakdown-centric as their peers Throwdown and Hatebreed, Terror are more "punky" and classically hardcore in their structures, just rendered more brutally so. Still, Terror does throw in some solid moments of pit inducing, neck-snappage: "Spit My Rage" (including phlegm spewing climax-now that's hardcore), "Not This Time", "Find My Way" and "Out of my Face" contain some lowbrow refrains that should bring out the Kung Fu kids. On the whole though, Terror is far more competent at straight ahead, balls out, passionate, old school hardcore, the New York City way. Tracks like "Are We Alive?", the sub 1-minute "Crushed by the Truth" and "No One Cares" rumble along like two out of control New York Subway trains careening towards each other. The production is the same mix of old school meets new school, with a raw but punchy sound that doesn't bottom out in the breakdowns nor grate your teeth. One With the Underdogs is a stout, fist fight of an album that ignores trends and reconciles the new with the old, but either way is a bruising listen and must have for Hardcore fans.

In an age where anything that's retro seems to be in, I present to you Orange County, California's Terror. It's a shame that the word hardcore has become so jaded that I have to call them retro, but that's exactly what Terror is, true, old fashion, punch you in the face, drenched in ethics hardcore, reminiscent of the old school, New York hardcore days of Madball and Agnostic Front. Now-a-days, people toss the word core around like it's some kind of cliche, and Terror's Trustkill Records debut "One With The Underdogs" is here to remind people that the core is not some trendy one tick pony, it's a way of life. Featuring ex members of Buried Alive and Carry On, Terror obviously has a pedigree that is deeply rooted in hardcore tradition, and they are ready to carry that torch further with Terror. Vocalist Scott Vogel is a force to be reckoned with, absolutely destroying every single verse he screams. Seriously, you're not going to find more pissed off record then this one, and not many people can scream like Vogel. If you like Jamey Jasta's screams for Hatebreed, Vogel is not very far from them. Jasta actually does some screaming on the song "Spit My Rage" along with Lord Ezec from Scarhead, and Freddy Cricien of Madball fame appears on the track "Find My Way." That's some impressive company. The lyrics speak about many of life's frustrations and are, in general, pretty aggressive. Even though the track "Spit My Rage" has a star studded cast on it, it kind of rubs me the wrong way. I mean, "spit my rage, in your face?" Sounds kind of cheesy, but then the breakdown kicks in, and let me tell you, it's one of the sickest breakdowns on the disc, and it more than makes up for it. There are plenty of sing-a-long parts to go around and all in all, Vogel is just solid as a rock. Musically, it's just punishing. It's going to give hardcore kids wet dreams. It's nothing flashy, nothing too technical, just straight forward, fast paced, heavy as fuck hardcore. The breakdowns will put a smile on your face as you punch the kid next to you in the face, and there are plenty of dancing parts, so break out your dancing shoes and get to two stepping. The production is crystal clear, and makes you wonder how some of the hardcore classics would sound if they had production like this. This is pretty much what you'd expect from Terror. Just solid all the way through. Fitting right into the retro feel of "One With The Underdog's" sound, there is a limited edition pressing in which the actual CD is all black and looks like an actual record. Hardcrore isn't about impressing everyone with what you wear or the amount of solos you can play, it's about being honest and living your life how you want to. This is what hardcore fans have been waiting for, a band that can step up with Hatebreed and carry the hardcore torch. I have no doubts that Terror will go down as one of this generations most influential hardcore bands down the line. Fans of bands like Madball, Hatebreed and Blood For Blood will dig "One With The Underdogs," which is in stores now.

If the phrase "lack of positivity" ever fit another band better, I'd challenge it. Terror is back with their Trustkill release "One With The Underdogs." Even the album title tells you the story: from the bottom to the top by clawing and scratching. Hardcore is furious. Hardcore is tough. Hardcore is brutal. Then Terror enters the fray. Their dual metal/hardcore guitar attack shreds everything it comes in touch with and Scott Vogel's venom and destructive vocals/lyrics push everything to a different level. The songs all fly forward at break neck pace and come to a crashing halt just as fast for a face altering breakdown. Terror had a lot to live up to after their first EP release and scored just fine. The biggest difference from the EP to "One With The Underdogs" is the step away from the Buried Alive sound. This album separates Scott from his Buried Alive days and gives Terror their own signature sound, which is nice to hear seeing hardcore has become so watered down as of late. Metal riffs, hardcore breakdowns, incessant drumming and the feeling of being yelled at for no reason. Sounds like a great record to me.

Their long awaited full-length is here at last, and you can bet your ass it delivers. Just over a half-hour of brutal hardcore with a little metal to its heaviness, so expect typical chord progressions with a moderate tempo, massive breakdowns, pissed vocal yells with huge backup shouts, etc. Original? Nah, they're not rewriting any books here, but the songwriting is top notch for the genre, keeping its roots intact while also managing to be pretty catchy (see emphatic tracks like the menacing "Overcome" for evidence of that). Jamey Jasta and Ezec do some guest vocals in "Spit My Rage", though it's kind of hard to tell (Jasta's voice has less character under these recording conditions and Ezec only rocks the last line of the song); and then Freddy Madball does a verse in "Find My Way", which is an awesome track. All you really need is fucking "Out of My Face" though, the title says it all, because that shit is straight up fucking vicious through and through... tons of attitude, heavier than average rhythms for the band... the works. Sheer perfection. It doesn't get much better than the breakdown in "Enemies in Sight" either... priceless. The production sounds damn good, but it does lack a certain over the top punch somehow, I don't know. Most releases of this nature that are coming from labels like Trustkill tend to have a little bit more low-end massiveness happening, which definitely makes a difference, but this one, while balanced, doesn't have that extra kick. Everything sounds really good, I think I'd just like to hear louder bass guitar, more density to aspects of the drums, and the vocals could stand to drop back a bit. The vocals inch out in front a tad, but I get used to it quickly. Make no mistake, it sounds killer, I just think it could sound better if a little of the dryness around the edges was beefed up. The layout's consistent and keeps it pretty simple with dirty textures over the photos and lots of blank space around the lyrics. I'm really not into the cover image because it's just not that strong to me, but everything else looks killer. The CD itself is a black disc made out to look like vinyl and all that, complete with ridges, which I believe is limited to the first pressing. Lyrically the songs are largely personal and just deal with being pissed off, the fucked up state of the world, being dedicated and true to yourself, putting people in their places, etc. It's all straight to the point with no bullshit whatsoever. I liked their EP on Bridge Nine a little better because I think the recording was a bit beefier and the shorter running time was a win-win situation, but this record is in no way a letdown, and I'd bet that these guys have yet to drop their finest work. I'm still all for it.

I'd say I haven't written anything for the zine for weeks because I broke my ankle bedroom moshing to this album, but I'd be lying, because my bedroom is way too cramped for the mosh, and I'm not stupid. However, listening to Terror's long-awaited full-length, 'One With the Underdogs', has certainly made me fight back a near-irresistible urge to do exactly that. Enter Ripley's archive of reviewer cliches: Pummeling. Destructive. Brutal. Unrelenting. Forceful. Any word that describes one object meeting another at a high amount of velocity and force with intent to injure. I'll admit it right here, this CD is about as surprising as getting a drink thrown in your face after asking a total stranger at a bar if they want to go home and fuck, but frankly, since I'm the reviewer here, and I'm an arrogant bitch, I will tell you that this doesn't matter for a single fucking second, as every second of this record is the purest, most crystalline form of hardcore available, and rather than being its downfall, Terror use it as their strength, keeping breakdowns just as long as they need to be, putting gang vocals exactly where they're needed, all with the kind of surgical precision you rarely see outside of Mother Nature's own constructs. Scott Vogel barks out trademark furious lyrics aimed everyone around him (with the possible exception of his own bandmates), the guitars scream out gunshot-fast riffs backed by precision drumming that sends odd time signatures back to the land of free jazz, keeping songs like 'Keep Your Mouth Shut', 'Less Than Zero', 'Spit My Rage' (which by the way is guested by Hatebreed's own Jamey Jasta and old Lord Ezec from Skarhead) and perhaps my favorite, the less-than-a-minute constantly gang-vocalized 'Crushed', which should cause any pit filled with lazy fucks to move like a pen full of decapitated hens. What can I say? Buy this. Buy this now. Do yourself a favor, son. Get off the internet and cough up your hard-earned dollars, and watch out for when they come through your town (and trust me, they will eventually).

Terror's mission is to exhume traditional, fast-paced, true-blue hardcore. While many hardcore bands simply top metal riffs with alternately screamed and sung vocals, Terror's thick-skinned One With The Underdogs remembers the days when ick Of It All, Cro-Mags, Agnostic Front, Madball, and the DMS crew ruled the CBGB Sunday matinees. Featuring ex-Buried Alive/Despair throat Scott Vogel on vocals, Underdogs invites kids to sing along, stage dive and fight over a chance to sing on the mic.

Terror are throwing no surprises with their first release on Trustkill, One With the Underdogs. This is a punch to the eardrums with a pounding fury of conventional "old school" hardcore. With their straightforward, blue collar, tough guy mentality, One With the Underdogs contains none of the trends that have become too common in the genre. This album contains none of the newly fashioned "metalcore" monotony, nor does it sound like a concept album ala Earth Crisis' Slither. Each song is filled with breakdowns that will get a circle pit going faster then Star Jones through a buffet line. Terror have clearly taken inspiration from such classic acts as Agnostic Front and Cro-Mags. They are sticking to the hardcore basics: plenty of sing-a-longs ("Spit My Rage"), guitar feedback followed by breakdowns ("Keep Your Mouth Shut"), and lyrics about coming from nothing, being beat down and getting up to spit in the face of the establishment ("Overcome"). Freddy Cricien (Madball) and the P-Diddy of hardcore, Jamie Jasta (Hatebreed), lend their vocal talents to help Scott Vogel (vocalist) get his points across... not that he needs any help! Frank Novinec (guitar) and Doug Weber (guitar) offer nonstop assaults of groove-laden riffs that will keep any pit going until the last chord is struck. On One with the Underdogs, you know what you are going to get: all natural hardcore!

If you listen to metal hardcore and metal-core long enough, you basically stop expecting originality from certain bands. At some point, usually early on, you stop thinking, "Are so-and-so doing anything different?" and start thinking, "Are so-and-so good at what they do?" AC/DC are the ultimate mainstream example, and Terror is but one underground hardcore equivalent. They possess the furious anthems, the workhorse attitude and the positive-outcomes-through-violent-sounds emotional expression of there peers in Hatebreed, Thowdown and Madball, while sounding like someone dropped the aforementioned trio into a big cauldron passed down by Slayer to Cro-Mags to All Out War. Throaty vocals, grinding guitars and monstrous breakdowns, it's all here for the discerning ear to enjoy, including an actual sample of someone spitting in "Spit My Rage." Nice.

Alongside hardcore's current tendencies towards reaching out to other genres for motivation [Swedish melodic death metal, goth or jazz are all recent inspirations] and reaping the rewards that this kind of cross-pollination is sowing, there remains a solid contingent, led both commercially and spiritually by Hatebreed, which sees tradition as the true hardcore path to be trodden. Los Angeles quintet Terror, known for their notoriously brutal live performances, are shaping up to be another of trad-hardcore's most fearsome current representatives, and second album One With The Underdogs more than lives up to their reputation. From the album title, to the dank, monochrome sepia artwork, to the cd itself-which looks like a 12 inch LP-to the actual music, this album is utilitarian metallic hardcore. As to be expected, Slayer is a major point of musical inspiration, but unlike Hatebreed [Note ubiquitous frontman Jamey Jasta makes a guest appearance on "Spit My Page"], whose single-minded can sometimes exasperate, Terror's commitment to old school hardcore stalwarts like Agnostic Front gives their on-slaught at least a smattering of character. And throughout the guitar riffage is arguably excessive throughout, Carl Schwartz's abrasive bass works breaks things up, shinning through here and there. You want beat downs? One With The Underdogs delivers them in spades, in all it's 32-odd minute glory. The bottom line is this: you're not going to get Adam Dukiewiczs-style ,histrionics, Dillinger-esque jazz breaks or Bleeding Through-style broken-heartcore. This one is for those committed to Brutality, Inc.

Fright Club - Fearsome missive from the hardcore underground. The Lowdown: Penetrating roars, Rapid-fire drum-work. Axe-wielding carnage. This is hardcore so raw it bleeds. Even on record, frontman Scott Vogel's stage-presence can be felt, his vocal onslaught strong and sadistic as lines are spat out with venom. The trademark bouts of aggressive swearing and empathic crowd-cheers can still be found in this new release, but Terror seek to be a little more inventive this time, adding unexpected twists and turns to their sound. 'All I've Got' closes with a Dilated Peoples-inspired, mock radio-sample, while guest contributions include and explosive title-track featuring Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta and Madball vocalist Freddy Cricien. Terror's previous album, 'The Lowest of the Low', still remains unchallenged as the uncut diamond of the modern hardcore, and this sibling doesn't quite match up to that astonishing debut. Fortunately, boasting a frontman who previously blessed Buried Alive, and a track-record of sharing stages with the likes of Sick Of It All, Terror remains uncompromising to the last. Determinedly old school but still somehow fresh, this is how hardcore is supposed to sound.

I'm sure this record will go down in history as one of the essentials of brutal hardcore. After the first spins I thought it's exactly in the middle of Hatebreed (less metal) and Madball (like their "Set it Off" record...only better). As a coincidence (or isn't it?), Jamey Hatebreed and Freddy Madball added their vocal muscles here and there. The band got things going about two years ago with "Lowest of the Low", this time they h