Generations

Our Times (2006)

Jordan Rogowski

Somewhere in the hardcore spectrum between Champion and the First Step lie Connecticut's Generations. And I don't mean this as insulting necessarily, but there's just nothing that distinguishes them from every other band that fits the same spot in that spectrum. The lead vocals, the riffage, the gang vocals -- it all seems so pre-packaged and pre-disposed.

That said, I happen to like that package quite a bit.

As with all the other bands that do fit the description I mentioned earlier -- it's fun to listen to. It all comes down to that. It's not new, it's not groundbreaking, it's not inventive in the least, but fans of melodic hardcore will immediately take to it just as they have to any of Generations contemporaries.

It begins as so many others do, with some subtle hits to the hi-hat before the drawn-out riffs and eventual rhythm come into play. It's a tried and true formula, and since it's already apparent the band aren't re-inventing the wheel, you'll know just what to expect. That instrumental section leads directly into the call of "have you ever felt so alone, and so afraid? You stand at the edge of life, facing your own grave" that brings to mind Another Breath's "Diesel and Gunpowder." The similarities end there, as a repeating riff pattern is overwhelmed by the vocals and some throaty background screams, all of which lead into a slowly loudening drum roll over some harshly delivered spoken-word, before exploding into a torrent of clean soloing and sludgy riffs that carry the song to its gang vocal-accompanied conclusion.

The follow-up is a more quick and driving effort that relies on those anthemic vocals far more than it does on any other singular element of the music. The riffs are there, the drumming is there, but the back-and-forth between melodic and ferocious vocals is what creates the interest, it's what keeps the song moving long after the rhythm grows stale. They pick up the rhythm aspect of their music on the EP's fourth track, "Shattered." In what's otherwise a fairly ordinary hardcore song, there are terrific chord progressions littered throughout that kick up the intensity tenfold.

If you're looking for creativity, if you're looking for something new, I suggest you look elsewhere. Our Times is not the new sound that you're looking for, it's instead an honest and energetic blast of hardcore that I can't get enough of.