Guilt

Bardstown Ugly Box (1995)

coldjuly

I have been a huge fan of Guilt and their spinoff, By the Grace of God for a long time now, so I can say plenty about this album… Way back in 1995 when Victory records was mainly putting out fast, metal influenced hardcore, i.e. Earth Crisis, Integrity, Strife and others. You would figure Guilt wouldn't fit in very well with Victory… But it turns out that wasnt the case at all. Guilt fit in very well in their short lived time… With the first notes of Gamma I knew that this would be a classic in the years to come…(Or at least in my book) Helping pave the way and having influences on many modern hardcore bands today. In a way I think Guilt opened the eyes of Victory Records to such diverse acts such as Grade, Boy Sets Fire, Thursday, and others because of their unique sound at the time and the brief success they aquired after this album was released (the band split 2 years later)….The sound of Guilt is relatively slowed down but a bit more melodic than their Victory peers at the time. Dont get me wrong…it does have its screaming and fast paced moments but also its very melodic and almost indie rock at times. This band also has some of the best lyrics I have ever read, Everything from Love, greed, hatred, sadness, and everything in between. The band had a certain air of mystery surrounding them, The cover of the album itself is almost ghostly in a way…suggesting the darkness of their style of hardcore and in some cases their lyrics. All in all, Guilt is one of my favorite hardcore bands….definitely check out this album and another EP on Victory records…And By The Grace of God, a slightly more up tempo, more indie rock band than Guilt. If your taste's are more for todays modern term "emocore" You will probably be into this.