AlbumsJune 10, 201210,708 views

Lionheart Undisputed


Undisputed
01. Undisputed 02. Lifer 03. From Nothing 04. By Any Means 05. End of My Rope 06. That's Real 07. At Your Door 08. Can't Hold Us Down 09. Better Days 10. Concrete 11. How I Was Raised 12. Never Break 13. Letting Go
2012 Mediaskare Records
Our score 7

6/10/2012

For anyone who grew up listening to hardcore in the late-90s there is often a general discontent with the genre's current trajectory. A music scene that used to rely on pure aggression and anger, many hardcore bands today have opted for either the clean vocal/pop punk-influence approach, or a metal/entombed-influence form of metallic hardcore. For those of you who feel most at home listening to Hatebreed's Satisfaction is the Death of Desire or Terror's Lowest of the Low, you can take solace in the fact that a band like Lionheart is proving that this style of late 90s/early 2000s- inspired hardcore is far from gone. No one is ever going to accuse Lionheart of reinventing the wheel of hardcore, but their new album Undisputed helps show that straight-forward aggressive hardcore is not a thing of the past. Very much a logical progression from their last album, Built on Struggle, Lionheart continues to use punishing riffs, gang vocals, and well-placed breakdowns to deliver no-frills hardcore that not only pays homage to its predecessors, but also delivers 13 well-crafted songs of punishing hardcore. Tracks like "Lifer" and "By Any Means" help start this album off on a high-energy and hostile note by blending mid-tempo verse riffs and crushing breakdowns with lyrics that tell tales of hardship in an uncaring world. Rather than filling their songs with slow breakdowns (followed by even slower breakdowns) like many bands today, Lionheart understands that while hardcore doesn't have to be particularly diverse, it does have to offer enough variety to keep the listener interested past the first song. Songs like "Can't Hold Us Down" and "Concrete" take an "if it's not broke, don't fix it" approach to hardcore song writing, but are done in such a way as to avoid sounding cookie-cutter or derivative. The only element of excessive repetition on this album is the lyrical content. Focusing on living hard and overcoming life's obstacles, vocalist Rob Watson does rely heavily on lyrics that tell the story of the challenges and victories associated with starting at the bottom (and clawing your way to the top). A well-worn trope in hardcore, these stories of hard living are perfectly suited for such an angry and violent style of music, but can grow tiresome from time to time. That being said, I can't think of a better album to use as a backdrop for screaming about an ugly and cold world. Bottom Line: Lionheart is able to put their unique stamp on a tried-and-tested style of heavy hardcore with Undisputed. Relying on chugging riffs, impassioned screams, and a straightforward approach, this band proves that you don't have to be innovative to be impressive.

21 comments

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anonymous 6/10/2012 9:12:24 AM

Zzzzzzzz

Deadwithfear 6/10/2012 9:21:13 AM

All bands like this need to f*cking stop.

anonymous 6/10/2012 9:37:56 AM

cool, another band wanting to sound like hatebreed. should be called Jasta's minions.

ineedsalt 6/10/2012 12:16:31 PM

band names with lion is the new band with "blood" in it

anonymous 6/10/2012 7:32:40 PM

beat da walls up my sage

anonymous 6/10/2012 11:18:00 PM

0/10 gay

anonymous 6/11/2012 5:03:36 PM

Undisputed in what? You aren't Mushmouth, you aren't Madball, you aren't Fury Of V, you aren't Merauder Undisputed in what?

anonymous 6/11/2012 5:08:42 PM

if i want to listen to stuff that sounds like Hatebreed and Terror... why don't I just listen to Hatebreed and Terror?

anonymous 6/12/2012 6:04:01 AM

props to Rob and the boys. I love this band.

anonymous 6/12/2012 6:10:22 AM

Undisputed in what? You aren't Mushmouth, you aren't Madball, you aren't Fury Of V, you aren't Merauder Undisputed in what? way to name bands that havent been relevent in 10 years. Merauder doesnt even draw anymore...

sfthizz 6/12/2012 12:25:11 PM

i used to make lionheart apreesh threads. now i dont. disappointing album.

anonymous 6/12/2012 5:02:47 PM

Yet Master Killer still stands after nearly 20 years. you think you will listen to "lionheart : Undisputed" in 20 years? Who cares about drawing

fourthgradecocktease 6/13/2012 8:51:10 AM

count how many times he compares himself to a lion or a pitbull throughout their discography, it will be the last time you listen to this band.

anonymous 6/14/2012 6:51:02 PM

Lionheart..keeping it real. F the haters. bunch of pansies. Stay out of the pit, bitch ass suckas. Go back to listening to Green Day, you gays

anonymous 6/14/2012 8:45:38 PM

LOLLLL, you all lion hearted in da pit brah.. eat those antelope

anonymous 6/15/2012 9:10:43 PM

Courage, strength, pride, I'm lionhearted!!! -A "real" hardcore band

anonymous 7/6/2012 7:37:24 AM

"Rather than filling their songs with slow breakdowns (followed by even slower breakdowns) like many bands today" nobody f*cking does that anymore. you sound like a turd.

anonymous 7/16/2012 10:33:19 AM

Where can this be downloaded/purchased/strea med?

anonymous 8/3/2012 10:47:25 AM

still the worst band

anonymous 9/11/2012 7:21:03 PM

xtuffx

anonymous 10/24/2015 2:45:48 PM

these fools love their Pinkberry.