Review / 200 Words Or Less
Dirty Money
No Escaping This

Dead & Gone (2007) Michael

Dirty Money – No Escaping This cover artwork
Dirty Money – No Escaping This — Dead & Gone, 2007

Dirty Money is one of the latest upstarts to emerge from the U.K. scene and take hardcore by storm. Dirty Money set forth a furious attack of fast-paced hardcore that draws great influence from the New York scene. No Escaping This features four new songs, all of which blend together the classic NYHC sound with flairs of metal and crossover groves. The title-track and "Mind in Pieces" are full-force attacks of hardcore that bear resemblance to Cold World, Madball, and Ringworm, but with a more aggressive vocal delivery. "It's Real" closes out the new songs here and it is easily the best of the bunch.

Tacked on, as a bonus, is the band's demo recording. The intro and title-track are smoking and no doubt get a crowd moving. "Out of Luck" is a fast-paced number and "No One" is probably the hardest thing they've written to date - the breakdown at the end smashes.

Overall, I think I dig the band's demo a bit more than the new songs. The demo songs seem a lot more fresh sounding and more cohesive. The first three new cuts are okay, but just don't seem focused enough, unlike "It's Real" and the demo tunes.

6.5 / 10Michael • November 20, 2007

Dirty Money – No Escaping This cover artwork
Dirty Money – No Escaping This — Dead & Gone, 2007

Recently-posted album reviews

Lethal Limits

Elevate EP
GhettoBlaster Productions (2025)

The archival hunt for the "missing links" of first-wave California punk usually leads through a trail of grainy handbill Xeroxes and tape traders' overdubbed copies. But with The Flyboys, the story has always been a bit more elegant—and a lot more colourful. Long before they were swept into the gravity of the Hollywood scene, frontman John Curry was already performing … Read more

The S.E.T.

Self Evident Truth
Flatspot Records (2026)

Hardcore doesn’t need reinventing; just needs conviction. On Self Evident Truth, Baltimore’s The S.E.T. come out swinging with a debut EP that’s built on exactly that. It’s got groove, urgency, and a clear sense of purpose. Clocking in at around fifteen minutes, the EP wastes no time establishing its identity. From the opening moments of “This Chain,” it’s all forward … Read more

Dashed

Self Titled
Independent (2026)

When a band describes themselves as surf punk, it usually conjures a certain image. Reverb drenched guitars, sunburnt melodies, maybe even a sense of looseness that leans more carefree than chaotic. Dashed doesn’t really fit that mold. On their self-titled LP, they take those familiar elements and run them through something colder, sharper, and far less predictable. Across eleven tracks, … Read more