Posted on: October 22, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Modern Life Is War – Midnight In America / 2007 Equal Vision / 11 Tracks / http://www.modernlifeiswar.net / http://www.equalvision.com

Modern Life is War has been around for about five years. I know that NeuFutur is not unfamiliar with the act, as we have covered them on the Iowahardcore compilation and have picked up a few of their albums in the past. Saying that, it seems as if the band has stepped up their game for “Midnight In America”, their first album on Equal Vision records. “Useless Generation” is the first track on the disc and starts things off with an emotionally intense blend of guitars and drums. The band slows things up for a second before blasting their listeners’ ears with some of the toughest hardcore out there. Hints of At The Drive-In and Saetia confront each other in the machine-gun drumming layout of “Screaming At The Moon”, while “Stagger Lee” links together a troubled instrumentation with gritty, angry vocals.

The different approach taken by Modern Life Is War during each of the tracks on “Midnight in America” serve a dual purpose; they allow the band to really spread their musical wings, while the songs act as a net, capturing any and all individuals that happen upon the disc. A high point of “Midnight In America” has to be “Big City Dream”, a track that does not give up on the sludgy, brutal instrumentation even as the band imbues the track with a melody not heard in typical hardcore music. “Pendulum” speeds things up to match tempo with punk music, an interesting choice given the fact that the last track was titled “Fuck The Sex Pistols”.

The straight-forward drumming of “Pendulum” matches perfectly with the vocals, and Modern Life is War blasts forward until the track closes shop. “These Mad Dogs of Glory” is another peak for Modern Life is War; the vocals create a harmony that is infectious as all get out while contributing to the brooding and plodding style crafted by the rest of the band. Modern Life is War have quite a few single-worthy tracks, but never lets these tracks slack in regard to crafting an album-specific sound. Equal Vision has given Modern Life is War the opportunity to break it big; the music present on “Midnight in America” should be enough to allow the band to reach a large fan base. Keep listening to Modern Life is War; I believe that their career will be a long and storied one by the time that they give up the ghost.

Top Tracks: These Mad Dogs of Glory, Pendulum

Rating: 7.1/10

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