Reviews

Bitter End is one of those bands that is heavily influenced by New York hardcore, even being all the way down in Texas. I have been a big fan of hardcore for some years now (about 8 or 9 years) but I've never really been a big fan of the model that Bitter End has built their style off of - the late 80's/90's hardcore ala Madball, Killing Time, Breakdown, Sick of it All, etc.

The album starts off with an intro called "Panic" which highlights some of the more devastating parts of our recent history like the 9/11 attacks, North Korea, etc. Then the intro fades into a track with a really thick bass line, with drums being added and then guitars. The first full fledged song on the album is the title track, "Climate of Fear." Though it may not be my cup of tea, I have to say that they play this sub-style of hardcore awfully well. Look at Bitter End this way - metal infused early 90's hardcore; it makes you wanna grab a basketball jersey and some baggy shorts. The guitar tone is pretty classic with a decent amount of crunch to it and riffs that can push the shred barrier from time to time, but the production lacks some backbone, there's no low end to it at all. It's not that the drummer or bassist are bad - they hold up quite well - it's just the sound that comes out as a whole. While that may be the desired presentation (as the production in the early 90's wasn't that great), it doesn't necessarily float my boat. But nevertheless, Bitter End has a knack for pushing out urgent, angst ridden hardcore songs, driven by lyrics that speak of social and political issues as well as the hardships of life. For some of you, that'll be exactly what you're looking for. I know a lot of hardcore kids that live, bleed, breath, eat, and sleep only to listen to this specific style of hardcore. It's a cult classic type of thing.

Listening to this album shows you that Texas has really built a strong hardcore scene for itself. Alongside Bitter End you'll find bands like Die Young, Lie and Wait, Iron Age, and others. You can't help but be excited about the proliferation of hardcore music in today's day and age.