I doubted about reviewing this, but decided to do so anyway. I doubted about it as this is a re-release and I don’t want to make a habit out of reviewing those. This leads to an interesting time-line: this album is recorded in 2017, released on vinyl in 2019 and re-released on tape in 2021. And in 2022 I finally pick this up. That’s about time…
What piqued my interest was the mention of members of BIB being involved in this band. This is just one of the bands that this Mace shares (or shared) members with. I’ll be fair with you and admit that I’ve heard about Gas Rag, but Worn Out, Men As Witches and Cohete are band names that I don’t recognize. BIB though is a band I enjoy with their obnoxious hardcore. Mace however is a different beast.
Mace plays that kind of hardcore that takes you back to early hardcore, most notably what was released on Revelation Records for example. If you focus on the bands in that niche that keep it as simple and straightforward as possible you’ll get there. Old school hardcore, but of the neanderthal variety if you wish (and I mean that as a compliment). The best bands in that niche always had a knack for writing memorable tunes. Add to that a singer that reminds me of the singer of Snob and you should be able to picture their sound.
What I enjoy most in this particular hardcore sound are the EP’s. These bands came in, threw their message in with a couple of short songs and the EP is over five to ten minutes later. Mace surprises me there by releasing a full length with no less than eighteen tracks. And still this release is over before you know it. And more importantly: is never boring and keeps the energy levels as high as can be the whole ride. There is one track with an epic length of no less then 1:46. All other tracks are shorter, around a minute appears to be a good song length for Mace.
Like the best bands in this genre Mace has knack for writing tunes that come in swinging, not much subtlety to be found. Perhaps they’ll throw in an old school break down after which they move on to the next song. They do have something good going on, as Beef keeps me focused for the whole time. These tunes are energetic as can be.
The production is very basic. Every instrument can be heard, including the bass guitar, which I enjoy. The downside of the production is that the drum sound is a bit messy when I listen to this on my headphone. A bit too up front. I don’t hear this when I play this over my speakers.
Mace is doing nothing new or groundbreaking. Perhaps I am looking in the wrong direction, but I don’t hear this sound too often nowadays. And I miss that. So I am happy to have found out about their existence. And that's the main reason for me to still review Beef. Now go to their Bandcamp and add this release to your collection!
