Within the current hardcore community, the anticipation of True Love's debut album has been a big deal. To date, the Detroit straight edge crew has only officially released a demo and an EP on the React! Records label, but the buzz on the band has been high.
Joining forces with Chris Wrenn's Bridge Nine Records, True Love entered Chicago's Bricktop Studios last summer to track their debut album, Heaven's Too Good for Us, with Weekend Nachos guitarist Andy Nelson in the engineer's chair. Clocking in at under 20 minutes, the album is a relentless son of a bitch.
Opening tracks "Piece for a Piece" and "Your Side" showcase True Love's basic approach: gruff vocals over fast tempos that eventually give way to a bonkers breakdown. At times, the band only serves up the moshy parts for a few seconds, but that works for me just fine since I've always found that those kinds of sections work better with a "leave them wanting more" approach.
What's a great hardcore record without a nasty guitar tone? Well, I'm pleased to tell you that guitarists Alec Faber and Brad Walker have got that covered. Everything from the breakdowns to the pick slides to the speedy riffs are Madball-worthy.
By the time Heaven's Too Good for Us ends with the anthem "Stay True," I found myself going back to the beginning of the album to get another fix.
Get It
- Bridge Nine Records (CD/LP/cassette/mp3)
Tagged: true love hardcore band
