Internal Affairs is a band that embodies what hardcore should truly be about. The music is fast, energetic, and pissed off. The lyrics are honest to the point of being blunt - hardcore used to be about speaking your mind, somewhere along the way most bands forgot this. And finally, the band puts on one heck of a performance, inviting everyone in the crowd to get involved and let loose. The band's newest offering, Deadly Visions, takes all that and manages to put it to plastic, or wax, depending on which version of this record you pick up.
Deadly Visions is nine songs of hard-hitting, fast-paced hardcore that lasts less than nine minutes. The EP kicks off with "#2," which is your standard intro affair with building guitars that bust into a killer solo as the rhythm section quickens the pace and gang vocals chant "I-A" over and over. The song quickly jumps into "Reality Check," a less-than-a-minute cut that'll make you glad you're not on vocalist Corey Williams' bad side.
"Still Alive" answers with another short blast of pummeling hardcore. The song definitely has a mid-90's feel to it, but Internal Affairs have concentrated the intensity into much shorter blasts. And even though most the songs here last less than a minute, they still find time to highlight their influences - "Still Alive" ends with a Melnick-esque guitar solo.
I mentioned Internal Affairs embodying the hardcore experience. There is no better example on Deadly Visions than the music and lyrics of "No Good Game in HC." Take these lyrics:
Hey kid where do you think you're at / This is a show quit hiding in the back / Up front is where you belong / Get a dive in before the last song... / Fuck your high fives, fuck your friends / I'll stop smashing when the song ends / This ain't a team sport, it ain't baseball / Spinning and smashing, I give it my all / Last man standing is who'll I'll be / Cus your brains are shook, on your knees / No blue ribbons, no first place / I just wanna punch you in the fucking face.
"Fuck Yeah" lasts long enough for a short blast of guitars and a crew chant of just that, "Fuck yeah!" "Deadly Visions" is the longest track on the record, lasting almost two minutes, but it fucking slays. The song has an Integrity vibe to it, and even features additional guitars from Andrew Kline, whom you might recall from a little band called Strife.
"Stage Potato" is probably the funniest song I've heard all year. The lyrics attack the lame individuals that just stand on the side of the stage and don't get involved in the fun of being at a hardcore show. Like I told you before, the lyrics of this album are straight to the point. Deadly Visions concludes with "Judgement Day," another sub-minute blast of aggressive hardcore with a great mid-song groove.
Internal Affairs have delivered a great record that fans of both hardcore of old and new can and should get behind. If you've been sleeping on this band, now is the time to jump aboard. If you dig this, pick up the rest of their catalog, it's equally as impressive.
