Here's a great record from a largely overlooked band. Seven songs of fast, catchy, melodic hardcore. The opening track, which shares its name with the album title, is probably the best song this band ever wrote, a fast, intense damning of tough-guy hardcore types, with an awesome breakdown that fits nicely on the end.The second song, "It's Alright To Show Emotion," is more melodic, a fun tune. "A World Away" includes a long break halfway through, with some unusual instrumental noise, before busting back into the sped-up chorus. It's a cool song, and a bit different from what you might be used to hearing from '88-inspired straight edge bands.
"Yeah! We've Got It!" (these guys love exclamation marks) and "Excuses, Excuses" are fun songs, and the Morrissey-inspired "There's a Place in Hell for Me and My Friends" is a brief instrumental blast which leads into "This Is Not the End," an aggressive sing-along that promises more to come.
That more to come turned out to be their only full-length, "Happy Teenagers Do Not Paint Their Rooms Black!" One of the best things Reinforce had going for them was their ability to blend poppy sounds and catchy choruses with traditional straight edge hardcore. I think they went a bit too far with that in their LP, however. Songs like "Scream and Shout," "Katrina," and "Another Stifled Friday Night" aren't bad, but they break up the album in an awkward way, and it doesn't quite flow. Still definitely worth checking out (I said it's my least favorite of theirs, but I've still listened to it many, many times), as is their first EP, "Youth Shall Sing!"
Still, "One Life Thug Free" is the best they put out. A great record, fast, melodic, with positive lyrics, and a few diversions that make Reinforce stand out from other similar bands.
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