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

Hoaxed

Death Knocks
Relapse (2026)

There’s a fine line between dark rock that feels theatrical and dark rock that feels transportive. On Death Knocks, Hoaxed land firmly in the latter. This is an album that doesn’t just flirt with atmosphere but commits to it fully, wrapping heavy riffs, melodic hooks, and occult-tinged drama into something that feels natural and not staged. Three years in the … Read more

Carnivorous Flower

Carnivorous Flower
Dead Broke Rekerds (2025)

There's a time to be cerebral and there's a time to tell it like it is. Carnivorous Flower lives by the latter. Their debut has 10 songs: 18 minutes in total. Each of the songs is catchy as heck and you can pretty much singalong on your first listen. It's "simple" punk with peppy energy and a lot of heart. … Read more

SUB/SHOP

Democatessen
Independent (2025)

Richmond, VA has always had a way of bending punk into something sharper and stranger, and Sub/Shop feels like a direct product of that tradition. Their EP democatessen isn’t a debut in the wide-eyed sense but a statement from musicians who’ve already spent years inside heavy, confrontational music and are now choosing precision over spectacle. Across six tracks, Sub/Shop delivers … Read more