When you name your band after a Charles Bukowski book, you are automatically selling yourself as an intellectual band, or at least a well-read one. This strategy can be either beneficial or cause negative affects on a band if their music and their lyrics fail to own up the intelligence level they wish to portray themselves. Luckily, Run With the Hunted seem to have their head screwed on straight, albeit at times very annoying and brash.
Arizona's Run With the Hunted is a vegan straightedge hardcore band that thankfully decided that Deicide wasn't going to be an influence. Yes, Everything Familiar is free of chugga-chugga mosh and dive-bomb guitar squeals as Run With the Hunted sounds more like an amalgamation of Trial and The Hope Conspiracy. Noisy guitars, whip crack drums, and unexpected mosh parts propel these nine songs. While the vocals remind me of vertical challenged fellow that yelped in One King Down and Most Precious Blood.
Lyrically is where the line might be drawn on just how smart Run With the Hunted is. Every song is vaguely political with a great helping of the personal mixed in. The last track, "Exit Strategy", is a vehement attack on the former President, George W. Bush, in which Run With the Hunted wishes the former leader of the free world to take a knife to his throat. Alright, I agree that "W" messed up the U.S.A. and the world for a newer generation, but asking him to lop his own his head off? Come on, I expect those lyrics coming from a seventh grade metal band or any crust band from Sweden, but not a band that names themselves after a Bukowski work.
Everything Familiar is a decent, but heavy handed hardcore album that will appease the folks that remember the more political side of 90's hardcore. Heck, Run With the Hunted might even fill the void of Verse if they happen to get on a bigger label as both bands have both the same feel musically and lyrically. Everything Familiar isn't a bad slab of emotive metal tinged hardcore but the over the top lyrical content can put one at ill ease. Nevertheless, if you like your bands that probably hand out pamphlets at their shows and have long speaking intervals between songs than you really can't go wrong with Run With the Hunted. As for myself, I respect what Run with the Hunted is trying to portray but to me it's nothing new and nothing I could see myself backing. I also would need to note that Everything Familiar is a collection of a recent recording in 2008 and a four-song EP released on Glory Kid Records earlier this year.
