Universal Peace is pure DC Hardcore, drawn from the same vein that spawned Minor Threat, Fugazi and The Bad Brains. In fact, the album was even produced by Don Zientara, the same man behind albums by all those aforementioned DC powerhouses. But knowing that Lion Of Judah makes DC Hardcore and draws heavily from their predecessors does nothing to prepare you for this record; it's anything but predictable.
Lion of Judah does an excellent job keeping the album from ever stagnating.They open the album with "Preemptive Fear" and "Dirty Faces", two heavy slabs of old-school hardcore that run at you and grab you by the face. Once those tracks have thoroughly shaken you up and you know LOJ are serious, they get down to the real business of making music.
Throughout the album they return to that old school theme, but break up their hardest hitters with tunes like "Mousetrapped", "Ruined" and "B(r)ad Time (Rough Era)", the album's instrumental closer. These are the tracks that, while maintaining their hardcore energy, also boast melodic hooks, interesting time changes and a bass line that could be described as almost funky. This is where LOJ really draws me in; in addition to carrying the raw aggression of DC hardcore, these guys can really play. They write great songs, and they don't hide behind their genre.
Despite the way they mix it up, their one constant theme is their power and energy. Even on "Sirhan's Secret", which is predominantly a plodding tune, LOJ's music never dips into sludge, it's simply raw power, tightly reigned in, straining to tear loose into frenzied hardcore, which it eventually does, only to be drawn back in.
Themewise, their lyrics are typical hardcore, railing against government and religion, but the actual execution also elevates them. They are smart lyrics, written well and delivered even better. As a whole, the record comes off slick, but not so slick that they lose the layer of crust that's needed to sell it as a hardcore record. You can hear every note, but it's not over-produced.
At one time, I was pretty sure that hardcore was a done deal; while new hardcore bands were sure to put out albums, they would simply be retreads on what had gone before. Recently, it seems like the scene has been kickstarted by some new faces taking some chances. If this really is a rebirth of hardcore, it's an exciting one, and Lion of Judah would be well-suited for the role of one of the movement's leaders.
