Children - Hard Times Hanging At The End Of The World review
| Band: | Children |
| Album: | Hard Times Hanging At The End Of The World |
| Style: | Progressive thrash metal |
| Release date: | May 12, 2009 |
| A review by: | Doc G. |
01. Advanced Mind Control
02. Nuclear Bummer
03. Power Spirit
04. Hard Times Hangin...
05. Subterranean Cities
06. Time Is the Living
07. Mental Parasite [bonus]
08. Death Tribe [bonus]
Disclaimer: In relativity to my other reviews, this one may contain abnormal amounts of pretentious douche-bag imagery, as well as large, cool sounding words that are completely beyond my comprehension. I'm just really fucking stoked on this album.
Music becomes a strange place when almost every good idea has been conjured up, then copied a couple hundred times. It leads to two main paths; either become another clone, or try and create something so bizarre, or so outlandish that it comes across as different for the mere purpose of being different. But every once in a while, you come across a band like Children. Hard Times Hangin' At The End Of The World proves that unique doesn't have to mean experimental beyond accessibility.
In the nature of punk or Among The Living era Anthrax, this band isn't about extremely tight, precise playing; in fact, the whole thing sounds like it's about to fall apart at any minute, kind of like riding down a hill at 70 mph on a bike that should have been hauled to the landfill decades ago. Yes, it's that intense. To top it all off, the lyrics are about as accessible as it gets - songs about life, the cosmos, beer, friends, banging your head to some old school doom metal, and pretty much everything in between. Very approachable without sounding weak is a good way to sum up both lyrics & song.
Trying to lump this band into one sub-genre would be to put some sort of unfair constraint on it. For the sake of the review we'll give it the best shot possible: crossover punk/thrash with progressive and psychedelic influences. Even that seems a little strict for this, yet you probably still have no idea what this sounds like. Treat yourself, give this one a listen and try to categorize it yourself after you're done thrashing out.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 10 |
| Production: | 8 |
Comments
Comments: 19
Visited by: 278 users
| Mikyz Posts: 711  |
Sounds pretty innovative, but I honestly can't imagine what it sounds like without trying it myself, all I got from the review is that it's original, intense and exciting. In other words, a must check. Edit: I checked Power Spirit, it's like nothing I ever heard, so I'm sure to listen to the whole thing. Power Spirit's video is beyond weird though, I mean they're wearing one piece pajamas in the woods, two of them are sleeping with their guitars and the other is playing drums on the extinguished camp fire?
---- Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone.
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| MeloDeathViking Posts: 516  |
Just bough it on amazon for $4, clips sounded worthy of an impulse buy, and for that price I just couldn't say no.
---- "I am not superstitious, but I'm a little 'stitious." - Michael Scott
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| K✞ulu Seeker of Truth Posts: 2573  |
This is the band from Thryce's Best Video Ever Made.... :-D Power Spirit caught my attention.
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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| LeChron James Helvetesfossen Posts: 3561  |
Written by K✞ulu on 27.05.2010 at 22:39 really? was this the band that shotgunned beers in the opening scene? and made armor from beer boxes?
---- Kick Ass, Die Young Less is More Stay Pure Stay Poor Music was my life, music brought me to life and music is how I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die there will be a final waltz in my head that only I can hear.
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| K✞ulu Seeker of Truth Posts: 2573 |
Written by LeChron James on 27.05.2010 at 22:42 I don't remember... I remember the flying guitar and weird dudes in the forest 
---- Savor what you feel and what you see Things that may not seem important now But may be tomorrow R.I.P. Chuck Schuldiner Satan was a Backstreet Boy
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| silenius Posts: 531  |
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff Posts: 9718  |
Written by LeChron James on 27.05.2010 at 22:42 It was the one where they are running around the forest in those onesies...and they have those magic shades. LeChron, you got it already?
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| sbgmetal Posts: 866  |
Listened to it... not bad at all... somewhat original with a solid crew behind the instruments
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| LeChron James Helvetesfossen Posts: 3561 |
Written by Doc G. on 28.05.2010 at 00:46 yeah i got it the first day you posted this review. and yeah, it's as good as you say it is.
---- Kick Ass, Die Young Less is More Stay Pure Stay Poor Music was my life, music brought me to life and music is how I will be remembered long after I leave this life. When I die there will be a final waltz in my head that only I can hear.
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| Fat & Sassy! Elite Posts: 3857  |
Listened to some songs. This is some good stuff. Thanks for the review. Otherwise, I would have never heard of these cats.
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| ruffio Posts: 76  |
Written by LeChron James on 27.05.2010 at 22:42 You're thinking of Red Fang's "Prehistoric Dog"
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| MeloDeathViking Posts: 516 |
Still hasn't arrived yet!! I really wanna hear this album!! 
---- "I am not superstitious, but I'm a little 'stitious." - Michael Scott
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| EzeKyeL Posts: 52  |
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff Posts: 9718 |
Written by EzeKyeL on 10.06.2010 at 03:31 Huh?
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| Czerny Reiter Posts: 291  |
This is really a worthy release. I usually am not partial to Thrash but this is something else. Very much like, say, Mastodon, the sheer groove'ness of the songs and musicianship overcomes the genre differences and the reserves one might have about the harsh vocals.
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| Derwood Posts: 511  |
Written by K✞ulu on 27.05.2010 at 22:39 As much as I really enjoy this album, "Power Spirit" reminds me waaaay too much of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" from the Rocky III soundtrack for me to be able to take it at all seriously. I don't know if that was their intention or not. "Time Is the Living" is a standout for me.
---- You can't fight evil with a macaroni duck!
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff Posts: 9718 |
Written by Derwood on 27.06.2010 at 05:25 I know which part of the song you're talking about, right at about 2:11-2:20 right? Personally, Power Spirit is one of the high(er) points of the album for me, mostly for the beginning from 1:20 - 2:10.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| koob Posts: 367 |
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| X-Ray Rod Skandino Staff Posts: 18374  |
Written by koob on 27.07.2011 at 14:07 Meh, don't get influenced with something ONE person said... Specially if you haven't even heard it yourself. There's nothing Mastodon-like on this music at all, totally different genres, that guy must be deaf tbh.
---- Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29 Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
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