Review / Classic Album
Youth Of Today
Break Down The Walls

Please allow me to drop this little disclaimer here before we delve any further; I am not nor was ever a fan of Youth Of Today (outside of maybe one or two songs), and with that said, I still recognize their impact on what became the hardcore and punk scene and straight edge focused music as they were and continue to be a major influence on a lot of people and bands. Break Down The Walls was the first full length album from Youth Of Today and is considered a classic in many hardcore punk circles, but the album was originally released in 1986 on another label (Wishingwell Records) and not Revelation; then in 1988 the album was re-released via Revelation and (as far as I know) has been in print via one format or another ever since.

Break Down The Walls is certainly a well executed hardcore punk record that is admitted by the band to be a purposefully generic straight forward album that is derivative of other hardcore bands that were their peers and also came before their time or crossed over into metal by the time Youth Of Today had started playing; the music is tight , the vocals are a constant growl (that reminds me of what Faith’s Alec MacKaye did at times), and the group yells are in full effect whenever possible (quite possibly one of the better examples of the practice from the time period actually, I will say that). Songs like “Break Down The Walls” (easily my favorite song from Youth Of Today), “Take A Stand”, “Free At Last”, and “Make A Change” (though some might include “Youth Of Today” in the mix but it is just full of hokey lyrics like “morally straight” (…seriously it is there) that just make it too over the top for me) are blaring songs that have become classic hardcore songs that people point to as some of the pinnacle of the “Youth Crew” era and might even be essential to the period (they would definitely be on a “Youth Crew” mix tape if I ever made one).

Even though many consider Break Down The Walls a hardcore punk classic, I still have a tough time making it all the way through the album as the record is just too generic sounding for my tastes (with the exception of the title track); but do not let my personal feelings get in the way of people checking out this record because it does deserve to be heard.