Pressure's On is a heavy hardcore band based out of Western Mass. They've evolved since 2007 both musically and member-wise. The only remaining original members of this band is Justin Kirkland on vocals and Will Hirst on guitar. After going through a series of replacement bassists and drummers, Pressure's On now has Dave Moson on drums and myself on bass, thus turning Pressure's On into a straight edge band. The only reason I am reviewing a band I'm now in is because I wasn't on bass when the EP was recorded.
Compared to the 2007 Demo, Barren Wasteland is really a work of art. Drawing influenced from bands ranging from Burn and 108 to American Nightmare, this EP is very powerful musically. One of the great things about BW is that a few songs are taken from the demo and rewritten. This really works because on the demo, the drums were horrible. Take the song "Detatched" for example. On the demo the drum beat, which is supposed to be a typical 1-2-2 punk beat was more of a 2-1, 2-1, 2-1 beat. Very metal and definitely unfitting for this kind of part of a song. I'm not going to get too deep into it but let's just say that Dave does a very good job making up for the Demo drums.
On a positive note, Justin lyrically expresses his views and journey through life in a powerful manner. Reinforced by innovative breakdowns, Pressure's On isn't messing around. If you are a fan of 90's hardcore bands such as Snapcase, 108, or even bands like Bad Brains or Inside Out mixed with melodic hardcore bands like American Nightmare and Battery, Pressure's On is the band to get into. They do this all while clearly establishing a sense or originality, which isn't very easy to do nowadays. Look out for a split 7" with Use Your Head! this winter and an east coast tour with Use Your Head! early January. An interview with Justin will most likely be in the works sometime in the future.
www.myspace.com/popo413
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