Outbreak You Make Us Sick

Back when I was still in high-school (which wasn't that long ago, sadly), I was really into thrash hardcore. I still sort of skated, I held a lot of general hate towards a lot of my peers, and I liked hardcore, so thrashy, fast-core stuff ala Tear It Up, Crispus Attucks, and Charles Bronson were right up there in terms of current favorite bands. Eventually, though, I sort of thrashed myself out, and as a consequence, I haven't listened to anything like that for a while. However, last year I happened to see Outbreak play a bigger show in Boston, and I saw how many kids were into them. Somehow, though, I never really checked into the band until I received a copy of You Make Us Sick in the mail. After listening to the record once through, reading the promo sheet, and digesting it for a few minutes, I was hooked. I can't say a whole ton about Outbreak and this record except that it has turned into my favorite hardcore record of the past year (Righteous Jams' "Rage Of Discipline" and Champion's "Promises Kept" are right up there, though). The songs are short but incredibly well done, and Don Fury has done an excellent job giving shape and depth (while maintaining a pretty sharp treble) to a band that probably would have given a ton of early 90's hardcore bands a run for their money. Granted, the songs tend to blend into each other at first, and this full-length is short even by hardcore standards, but vocalist Ryan's sound is so raspy and mean, and the guitars just rip into your ears like few others can do. Just scrolling down the track listing gives you an idea of how no-frills these guys from Maine are. Bottom Line: This is one of the best things I feel Bridge Nine has put out to date, and that's saying a lot considering how many great bands have been or are currently on this label. Outbreak is a true example of how ‘hardcore' a really tight hardcore band can be.