Some might say that hardcore has gone soft. Those that feel this way have a distorted view of the genre. Hardcore is as explosive and assertive as it has been since its very inception. Florida hardcore outfit Know the Score is a prime example of this. With their debut release, All Guts, No Glory, the band serves up eleven tracks of aggressive no frills hardcore.
Know the Score delivers in-your-face hardcore that never lets up from start to finish. The band pushes through 30 second cuts like 'Ex-members of I Don't Give a Fuck' and 'Due Respect,' which are dominated by punishing drums and blistering riffs.
On the other hand the tracks 'Safety in Numbers' and 'Phased Out' cross beyond the minute mark with an excellent combination of old school riffs, thundering basslines, and solid mid-90's styled breakdowns, not those obnoxious drawn out ones you hear in metalcore these days.
The aural assault doesn't stop with the music; the lyrics are as affronting as I have read elsewhere. On 'Swing 'em Like You Got 'em,' vocalist Pete Salpeas belts out 'Don't pat me on the back when I kick you in the face / I act the way I do to put you in your place.' Or there is the line 'So stand to the side and don't get in our way / kids like you drop out of hardcore every single day' from 'Pep Talk.' Every single track is brimming with overt accusations such as these. And if you don't like them, it's probably because they're directed at you.
If you're looking for a hook, you should definitely look elsewhere because you're not going to find one here. In fact you might want to start running as Know the Score is likely taking direct aim on fools like you. Fans of Down to Nothing, Right Brigade, and Terror's demo will likely enjoy what Know the Score has to offer.
