reviews
FILE UNDER: New York hardcore
Killing Time - Three Steps BackAlternative Press - Scott Heisel on 2/11/10 @ 7:00 AM - altpress.com
As music history is re-written on the web, many influential bands get lost in the blogosphere, unloved and skipped over while other groups bask in the spotlight. Killing Time, despite playing CBGB with Sick Of It All and Gorilla Biscuits in the late '80s, are one of these bands.
Three Steps Back is Killing Time's third full-length in more than 20 years, which along with their numerous line-up changes might have something to do with their fade to obscurity. But Killing Time's underwhelming output is no indication of the value of the music on Three Steps Back. It's a fun hardcore record, blending blazing punk rock melodies with stomping breakdowns, perfect for moshing in the seclusion of your bedroom and beyond.
Three Steps Back retools clichés from punk and hardcore past to its advantage. For example, "24" is a criticism of societal conformity; not exactly ground breaking territory for a punk band. But Killing Time's healthy sense of humor makes the tired topic wholly original: "So size me up/Strip me clean/And beat the punk rock out of me." Killing Time's lyrics are not very profound--the line "Don't be a pussy, boy/Pick up the slack" from "Crouch" comes to mind--but they're far better than most of the trash that currently stinks up the hardcore genre.
Just shy of 30 minutes, Three Steps Back has a few flaws. The album's production is tinny and unpolished, which muddles the guitars and bass, and takes some of the chomp out of the album's bite. That aside, the disc is a swift kick in the caboose, and sure to please admirers of '80s hardcore. (DEAD CITY) Matt St. John
GO DOWNLOAD: "24"
Official Website: http://www.deadcityrecords.com
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