Written By Kevin McSweeney
Dorset doesn’t seem like the most obvious breeding ground for hardcore punk. The scenic ceremonial county on the south coast of England is more renowned for being home to retired elderly people than angry young people, particularly in the beach resorts of Weymouth and Bournemouth from which On Borrowed Time hail.
Sure, this isn’t the kind of gritty urban realism that we get from Agnostic Front or Sick of it All. It’s more akin to the melodic take on the subgenre that you’d associate with, say, Alexisonfire. Still, it’s not the sort of thing you’d expect to hear ringing out across the pier.
And yet here we have In The Dark Before The Dawn, their debut album, which was released on May 29th via Omen Records. I apologise for my tardiness in reviewing it, but I too live on the south coast of England and, well, that’s just the pace of life down here. I’m sure the lads will understand.
The album commences with Twilight, a short instrumental track to set out the stall – arpeggios over a chugging riff and tribal drumbeat turning to eighth notes on the crash cymbal, and a vague similarity to Iron Maiden’s Wrathchild at times.
I’m referring specifically to the bit where Paul DiAnno sings “‘til I find you/I’m never gonna stop searching,” They were punkier in his era. Shut up!
Burden is the track that first introduces us to the voice of former Death of An Artist vocalist James Leatherbarrow. And a very shouty voice it is too!
But for his frenzied fulminations, we’d be talking about a number that could have come from late-90s Offspring. I’m thinking in particular of something like The Kids Aren’t Alright.
That’s not the criticism it might seem to be. I’m saying it’s a hook-laden affair, augmented by a clip of, if I’m not mistaken, the late and much-missed Tony Benn offering wisdom on how to bring about a better world. It’s a welcome augmentation!
Same Blood starts off with a riff that could be from a country pop song. Thankfully, this soon gives way to a track that is furious both in terms of its pace and the nature of its diatribe against racism and the politics of division and hate.
It’s a full-blooded polemic that resembles a much angrier Pennywise. Towards the end of the track, we get a strong illustration of how it’s Leatherbarrow’s aggressive vocals that keep the band rooted in hardcore.
This is when it all slows down and gets super melodic and anthemic. It’s a section of the song that cries out for clean vocals, but he persists with the screams and roars. (There’s another vocalist later on who might have been well utilised here.)
I could well imagine Leatherbarrow shouting the happy birthday song at a child’s party, showering the cake with spit in the process.
Next up is Solitude, which begins with a riff that could have come out of the Britpop era – albeit from one of the more sombre sounding acts of that time, I hasten to add.
I’m thinking Mansun, rather than some cheeky bunch of herberts banging on about going down the boozer with the lads and chatting up the birds. That’s not the vibe at all! Instead, it’s a mid-paced bruiser, at least initially.
It’s not long before it speeds up, but even at its most intense, it retains a solemn tunefulness. There’s actually a great deal of variety in terms of pace in this track. It certainly keeps things interesting. Lyrically, it seems to deal with moving on from a troublesome relationship. Though, taking the following lines into consideration:
I will move mountains, to keep you far away from me
I will move this ocean, just so that you can see
I am free
And also the song’s closing salvo:
I live my life
In solitude
And I no longer think of you
I can’t help wondering if it’s a case of protesting too much, like 10CC’s I’m Not in Love.
Faded is next, and I don’t mean to sound facetious, but the repeated reference in the lyrics to making the world a better place brought Michael Jackson’s Man in The Mirror to mind, though there is no similarity beyond that line.
Actually, vocals aside, if it reminds me of anything, it’s the theme music to Buffy The Vampire Slayer (rest in peace, Nicholas Brendon and Anthony Head.)
We would almost be in pop-punk territory at times if not for Leatherbarrow. The syncopated section towards the end adds variety, and grit, to proceedings. It’s good, but a bit too melodic for my tastes. I’m hoping they kick my arse with what comes next. Some kind of reset, if you will.
And the initial signs on Reset aren’t promising, with a clean strummed riff in 6/8 time as its intro. It might be time to get the lighters out, or the phone screens in lieu of lighters.
I probably just showed my age there. The ghost note-accented beat arrives on the scene and guides us through a minute and thirty seconds of gentle, melodic rock that was just begging for Arron Lewis or Chad Kroeger to start singing dolefully about how he’ll never find another woman quite like her. It’s a nice little interlude, but not quite the pummeling I craved.
Waiting For You (In The Dark Before The Dawn) has kind of a White Pony vibe to it at first, all darkly melodic and brooding, but with Leatherbarrow’s spleen-bursting roars instead of Chino Moreno’s ethereal croon.
Hell, even the title could have come from that most celebrated of Deftones albums. (I prefer Around The Fur, just for the record.)
It doesn’t last long, and we find ourselves once again in speedy but melodic territory, not unlike AFI, again vocals aside.
There is almost a hoarseness to Leatherbarrow’s vocals on this track that suggests the lyrics were delivered with particular vehemence. This is accompanied well by the plaintive lead guitar over the breakdown towards the end.
I can’t help thinking a song called Last Step should be the final track on the album. There’s two more to go after this, however.
This is a song that manages to sound sombre and subdued but also frenetic and abrasive. The lead guitar is a plaintive embellishment to a melancholy riff.
The lyrics are gentle and reminiscent of Romantic poetry in a manner most unbecoming of hardcore. For example:
We meet, where shadows softly blend
And we have something, most cannot comprehend
Beneath the skies ebb and flow
There lies a fire we’re cursed to never show
Or indeed:
Where fate conspires to keep us far
I will find you where the shadows are
Where fate conspires to keep us apart
I will find you, deep inside my heart
These could be the lyrics of a Michael Bolton power ballad! Once again, harsh vocals aside, it sounds a little like something from the Buffy The Vampire Slayer soundtrack for the most part, though there’s an interesting foray into a 5/4 time signature.
At least, I think it’s a 5/4 time signature. I’m not too good at identifying that stuff, despite having been a drummer.
After All gives us the ultimate punk rock intro in the form of a screamed “1! 2! 3! 4!” The song is once again mournful despite being frenetic.
Fast punk rock is alternated with a mid-paced metalcore section, complete with staccato riffs and plaintive lead. The old-school punk credentials are demonstrated further with the implementation of gang-style vocals.
(Not Gangnam Style vocals. Nobody’s banging on about sexy ladies whilst pretending to ride a horse, and thanks be to fuck for that!) This might be my favourite song of the album, tapping as it does into the quintessentially British tradition of mournful music with a punk ethos, as established by the likes of Joy Division.
This brings us to the final track, Love Song, which features a guest appearance by vocalist Mark Betteridge (of Towers, and formerly of Death of An Artist.)
The song starts off all jangly and Britpop fashioned, with a riff that could have come from Bernard Butler. This of course does not last long, and we are soon back into speedy punk rock driven by a four-chord progression.
A high-lying bass riff similar to that of Pennywise’s Bro Hymn presages Betteridge’s contribution, and honestly, his clean vocals suit the band’s style well.
There’s actually a hint of The Cranberries about this part of the song. The combination of Betteridge and Leatherbarrow’s contrasting vocal styles brings the song and album to an abrupt close over big quavers on the crash cymbal. And no, I’m not talking about the cheesy snack.
And there we have a perfectly decent debut album that is ultimately not to my taste for the most part.
What I’d tend to be looking for with hardcore is essentially large, burly men warning me that they might deem it necessary to engage me in fisticuffs, should I have the temerity to loiter in their vicinity for longer than is strictly necessary.
More fool me for expecting that kind of thing from Dorset of all places. Whether or not it’s to my taste is of course absolutely irrelevant, however. It has no bearing on the quality of the songwriting or the adeptness of the musicianship on display.
Others will love this album, and I urge all those with a penchant for punk with melodic sensibilities and emotional earnestness to give it a go. It might well be to your taste, even if it isn’t to mine.
Metal Lair awards In The Dark Before The Dawn by On Borrowed Time three and a half devil horns.
Track listing:
1. Twilight
2. Burden
3. Same Blood
4. Solitude
5. Faded
6. Reset
7. Waiting For You (In The Dark Before The Dawn)
8. Last Step
9. After All
10. Love Song (Feat. Mark Betteridge)
Band Members:
James Leatherbarrow, vocals (former Death Of An Artist)
Damien Carter, lead guitar, backing vocals (former Fort Vallance)
Damian Bruton, bass, backing vocals (former Erica Drive)
Dan Jeanne, guitar (former Towers)
James Davies, drums (former Rapids!)
On Borrowed Time Online
About The Author
Kevin McSweeney is Metal Lair’s resident scribe of the underground, eternally rummaging through the global metal scene for riffs worth your time.
As the guiding hand behind Seven Deadly Songs every Friday, he has an uncanny knack for finding the track you didn’t know you needed, usually before finishing his pint.
Equal parts loyal, kind, and quietly razor-witted, Kevin brings deep knowledge, impeccable taste, and a steady, reliable presence to Metal Lair.
Read More From This Author:
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Impure Wilhelmina – Le Sanglot Review Melancholy & Post Hardcore Beauty
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