Pittsburgh, PA's self proclaimed "Blue Collar Metal" band, Once Nothing have a pretty fierce debut record with, First Came The Law. This tough Metalcore (More on the Metal side than Hardcore) CD falls somewhere in between bands like Hatebreed and Bury Your Dead and they just don't let up, from the word go.
Once Nothing, a band that lives for the road, has been earning the moniker that they gave themselves and that road dogginess has made these guys a damn tight band. Lots of hard breakdowns and headbanging riffing are what you will find on First Came The Law. No Emo whining here! Vocals are what you would expect from a Metalcore type of band, much screaming & raw throated rants, but alas there are a few moments of actually singing. Check out the "ballad" or the obligatory acoustic CD soft song, "My Sweet Medusa". Yes, tender and seemingly heartfelt, albeit a bit cheesy, but at least they made an effort to stretch things out a bit!
Back to the heavy, CD standout track, "The Dust Of A Town" and smoker, "All My Heroes Are Cowboys" are the types of songs that Once Nothing have made their reputation on. Heavy breakdowns and heavy grooving make for some good mosh pit material. "The Truth About Me Or Someone Like Me" shows yet another side of Once Nothing. More of a straight ahead rocker than a Hardcore thumper. Don't get me wrong, the attitude is all there, but on the backburner. Cool tune. Also check out "Whiskey Breath" with their, "gotcha" opening. They did get me at first. Funny twist that rolls into a ripping track.
Once Nothing have a solid Metalcore release with First Came The Law, more Metal than others in this genre and less Hardcore than some, as well. This leaves Once Nothing on a "road less traveled" in their realm of Metal. They cover a bunch of different sub-genres across First Came The Law, which I think makes it a cool CD. You can't really pigeonhole the band because they do a little of everything and they keep you on your toes! Overall, this is a pretty solid & heavy CD that should keep Metaller's & Hardcore punks all happy at the same time.
Track Listing
- The Intimidator
- Avoid Me Like The Plague
- Juliet Or At Least What's Left Of Her
- Gunfire Is The Sound Of Freedom
- The Dust Of A Town
- My Sweet Medusa
- Columbus Wasn't Looking For America
- Then There Were Nine
- All My Heroes Are Cowboys
- The Truth About Me Or Someone Like Me
- Whiskey Breath
- …And Then Came Grace
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