_{Review By Cerrin Hendricks (@panicpreacher)}

“Time waits for no man. Time heals nothing.”

Australian hardcore legends No Apologies are back with their second full length album Life, dropping almost two decades after 2007’s Survival. 

Collaborating together since the 90’s, vocalist Pete Abordi and guitarist Peter Bursky are joined by the tight as nails trio of guitarist Chris Wilson, bassist Patrick Taylor and drummer Andres Hyde from Australian riffmasters SUMERU. 

The record, marketed as being “A deeply personal confession rendered in thunderous riffs and haunting melodies” deals with the concepts of loss and reconciliation through two main character perspectives. A fitting concept for a band coming back with their first recorded material in 18 years. 

‘Womb/Birth’ starts out with an ominous wave of feedback before breaking forth with a ferocious pace, setting the tone for the album as a whole. The metallic hardcore riffage keeps coming, with a mix of several metal influences. The arpeggiated guitars in the bridge are the highlight of the song, adding layers of depth to a sound already steeped in influences from several decades of hardcore and metal.

Adding elements of groove metal into the mix, ‘Life’ opens up with an infectious two stepping beat clearly aimed at those looking to dance. A touch of southern rock rounds out the song, taking over for the latter portion. This leads into the sound of a ticking clock, which is the opening for the anthemic ‘Time‘, a song which focuses on melody and layered vocals before the pace picks up at the midway point of the track.

‘Illness’ continues the thrash metal onslaught, with solo work guaranteed to melt faces. The mix of hardcore vocals and attitude with metallic riffage build up to a solo that is one of the most entertaining, and lengthy, solos I have heard in many years. The track fades off as the band heads off into the distance, still at full tilt. 

In a complete shift of gears, ‘Palliative/Tomb‘ brings things down several notches and draws the listener in with a haunting acoustic passage. The vocals on this track show a completely different side of Abordi. A poignant and somber mood hangs over the track, before giving way to an ending that hits hard as the rhythm section enters with a crushing weight that brings the song to a powerful conclusion. 

‘Loss’ brings things back into familiar thrash territory, the double kick driving the song forward in between melodic metal passages with a clear nod to Slayer and the other major metal bands of the 80’s. Sticking to the classic, ‘Hollow’ veers off into more hip-hop inspired crossover territory. The groove metal ending was made to kick doors down and showcases the amazing production behind the album, with every performance somehow sounding front and centre whilst making space for every other element of the track. 

‘Grief’, featuring Jem Siow of Speed on guest vocals, is a southern rock inspired track with a bluesy undertone that is a melodic highlight of the album. The feature shows true punk grit, but it’s the ending with the two vocalists layered on top of one another that really solidifies this as one of the best tracks they have ever made.

Choosing to follow this up with the pulverizing midtempo onslaught of ‘Eternal‘, featuring Todd Jones of Nails. The track clocks in at just under a minute and throws a heavy curveball into the mix. A perfect palette cleanser before the closing track.

A heavy guitar starts album closer ‘Peace’ with some true venom in the vocal delivery. The face off against Death itself. The southern rock inspired riffs with their signature groovy delivery and punk ferocity culminates in a closing section fitting for such an epic journey. 

This album was clearly a labour of love and well worth the wait. Finding such a quality true metallic hardcore record with a clear nod to older thrash metal bands has been a breath of fresh air and was an entertaining listen from start to finish. Whilst not breaking any new ground, it’s a masterclass in paying tribute to an older sound whilst somehow updating it for a modern audience. 

8.7/10 

_{Life by No Apologies is out August 29th through Last Ride Records
Find it here.}