I can't exactly recall my first exposure to Die Young, but I do know the band's 90's inspired hardcore punk sound and intense lyrical messages had me hooked from the get-go. Die Young - now Die Young (TX) - has persevered through the years and compiled quite a back catalog, surprisingly, since they seem to be constantly touring the world. Through the Valleys in Between compiles a new EP, several vinyl-only cuts, and the band's original demo into one great package.
Four new cuts from the Loss 7" start things off. These new songs exhibit a continued effort to deliver ferocious hardcore, much like their preceding full-length. "The Trail of Tears" rips from the start but adds a little extra flavor with the addition of the backing female vocals on the chorus. A small change, but it adds a lot of character to the song. The title-track "Loss" could have easily been placed on Graven Images. "Running Out of Delusions" is an instrumental piece with acoustic guitars and a cello. This leads into "Last Recourse," which rounds out the new tunes with a bruising affair that mixes the worlds of Tragedy and Integrity. The closing lines of the song are quite profound, "If we long for justice in this world, we'll just have to make it by force."
Next up is Fuck the Imperialists," the single from Graven Images and "Asco Puro," a reinterpretation of One Life Crew's "Pure Disgust" with different lyrics. These are culled from their out of print split 7" with Invade. The next tracks are taken from the Survival Instinct EP. These seven songs really showed an improvement from their previous efforts. Among them is one of my favorites "Some Salvation." There is also the Trial cover, which clues you into some of the band's lyrical influences. The tracks from split 7" with Seven Generations follow - one original and a cover of Gorilla Biscuit's "Degradation."
The album wraps up with the original Die Young demo. It's an interesting listen that provides context of the band's original intentions and direction. And when you listen to the first songs and what they've just released, you can tell they've stayed true to their original musical and lyrical vision.
Through the Valleys in Between is a great compilation for those who are playing catch-up with Die Young - not to mention the new songs are among their best yet. Plus, it puts a number of previously vinyl-only songs to plastic, which makes for easy listening on the go - in the age of iPod's this really does count. Hopefully there is more material in the works from Die Young, though rumors have suggested the band will be calling it quits in the somewhat near future. It would be a shame to lose one of the more underrated bands in hardcore.
