Unity Worldwide Records is a new record label co-owned by Joe D. Foster (Unity, Speak 714, Blood Days, Ignite, The Killing Flame) and German-based hardcore scene veteran, Billy Sven Guenther. The label has already announced that they'll be releasing a record by Don't Sleep, the band featuring Dave Smalley (DYS, Dag Nasty, Down by Law, ALL).
I learned about the label from Joe just the other day, and here we are reviewing UWR's debut release: Compilation of Unity. Fittingly, the split 7" features Joe's current band, LastLight, along with German hardcore crew, Tausend Löwen Unter Feinden.
On the Tausend Löwen Unter Feinden side, "Illusion" starts things off with non-stop energy. The driving riffing and drum work set the pace, but then the band breaks things down for a stomp part wouldn't sound out of place on a Madball album. "Berg" is another NYHC-like track that also explores the more melodic side of the group. Oh, I forgot to mention that two of the three Tausend Löwen Unter Feinden's songs are sung in German. But don't let that keep you away if it's not your native tongue. The vocal lines all are delivered with a fiery passion that carries through, no matter what language you do or don't speak. The third track is called "What We Have" and it features both LastLight's Jae Hansel and Dennis Brightside of Rykers on vocals. It's the first Tausend Löwen Unter Feinden to ever be in English, and it's a catchy mothefucker!
LastLight's material on the Compilation of Unity split is on the other side of the hardcore sonic spectrum. The SoCal band's songs are driven by a hyper-melodic combination of vocals and guitar riffs. Speaking of the guitars, LastLight features none other than John Coyle, a musician you might know from his previous work in Outspoken, in addition to the aforementioned Foster.
The LastLight tracks were produced by Ignite's Brett Rasmussen, and all of the songs on the split were mixed and mastered by Paul Miner (Death by Stereo, Trapped Under Ice) at his Buzzbomb Studios.
Keeping with the spirit of the new EP, Unity Worldwide Records is booking a European Fall Tour for Tausend Löwen Unter Feinden and LastLight with shows in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria to support their release.
Compilation of Unity is now available.
Pressing info:
100 gold exclusive Coretex Records
100 exclusive on REV-yellow for RevHQ.com
150 clear for Cargo/Distro
150 solid red for bands and label
Tagged: lastlight, tausend löwen unter feinden
