Terror - The Damed, The Shamed.

I don't need to tell you who Terror is at this point, as anyone remotely familiar with hardcore, punk, or metal knows the name. I took a re-interest in the band a little over a year ago. I had always loved the demo (Hardcore cliche I know) but the first proper full length was a little flat. With a chance listen to their prior full length release "Always the Hard Way" which shredded and was much more bare bones and focused on the basic elements the band started out on, I realized they were back on track.

Anyways, I have always loved the concept of a song-by-song review of albums, so that's what this is.

**Note: At the risk of becoming over elaborated or repetitive I'm only allowing myself the albums running time to do this. In others word's, I'm doing it LIVE.

1.) The Damned, The Shamed: Love the opening concept of this album....right into the riff. Reminds me of the beginning of AOQ, which sounds like the middle of a set or something just rolling through the tape. Interesting revelation: I don't know why but I thought the way to say the title of this album was "The Damned, the Sh-ham-'d"(like Damn and Sham)....got the clarification, thanks! Cool climbing notes in the chorus. Breakdown sounds a little out of place at this point, might have been better with a more mid-tempo break and less chug style. Pretty good opening track nonetheless. 7/10

2.) Relentless Through and Through: This song was on the myspace a few weeks prior to the release. HUGE Ringworm influence on this track, from the chorus riff to the breakdown to the SOLO! (a first for Terror) Lovin' it. 7.5/10

3.) Betrayer: Cool stop and start intro. Digging the mid tempo vibe on this song. Lines like "I can't believe I believed in you." And, "I feel nothing and I blame you." Make this song personally relatable and cut right to the chase (typical Vogel style). First significant flip of the script for Terror on this album (I heard there were a few). They drop in the melodic break and shouted vocals. It works! Not too long and maintaining an eerie feel. Song finishes hard. 9/10

4.) Rise of the Poisoned Youth: More Ringworm influence in the riffage and especially the drumming. Buske's bass tone is cutting through nice, an improvement from the last album which was like the "..And Justice For All" of hardcore albums in terms of bass. 6.5/10

5.) Never Alone: Good "root" riff to this song. But I feel like it's relying too much on it if that makes sense. Whole song sounds like a variation of the first riff. Ehh. 3.5/10

6.) What I Despise: KILLER intro. Fast shredding ala "Always the Hard Way" breaks quickly into a mid-tempo part with some melodic guitar octaves. I can appreciate Terror changing things and trying some new stuff, it's working so far. Lead in vocal part to the breakdown is also hard. 7/10

7.) Let me Sink: Vocals open this track. Feels weird to me for some reason. Song has a Madball groove to it. I love the drum fills. By the second verse I forget the uncomfortable intro. 8/10

8.) Feel the Pain: Still not used to hearing Bass in Terror songs, haha. As a bass player I love it, obviously. I love the marching vibe to the chorus. Sounds tormented! At 14 seconds left, it may have worn out its welcome though. Song cuts out and stops with the vocals staying through the measure, always a fan of that. 7.5/10

9.) Lost our Minds: At this point, this sounds like a different record. The main riff is a weird melodic metal one crossed with some Fat Wreck Chords drumming that doesn't mesh well with the rest of the album or song for that matter. 2.5/10

10.) March to Redemption: Slower track that begins with a creepy metal driven part. Song doesn't really recover. 2/10

11.) Crush What's Weak: Song is slow to start off but thankfully picks up and returns to a classic Terror vibe. Grrrreat Clevo breakdown at the end of the song. 6/10

12.) Still Believe: Lyrics sound like they've already been in Terror songs. Maybe it's the theme...still believing in hardcore I'm assuming. The spoken parts are an awesome addition as are the call and response gang vocals towards the end. 7/10

13.) Suffer to Return Harder: "...wanna be the shit starter? Fuck around make you a martyr." Isn't that the line? I HOPE the title to this track is from a Gangstarr song that I may or may not have misquoted above. Opening riff is hard and well written as are the transitions. Definitely a stand-out track on the album. "This world never wanted me!" Great closing to the album. 8.5/10

Overall: Terror's last full length was primarily focused around the guitars and the constant shredding of them. The majority of the songs flexed on speed and rarely slowed down to embrace intricacies and details. This is the perfect answer to that. Much more balanced in terms of tempos, influence, and vibes. Upgrades on the rhythm section in both tone and musicianship. Definitely not worse than their prior full length, maybe even better with a few more listens.

Standout Tracks: Betrayer, Let Me Sink, Suffer to Return Harder