Incendiary
Crusade [12 inch] (2009)
Brian Shultz
Incendiary seemed to form out of the need to get out the absolute rage that builds up from watching the church subtly merge with the state, as well as the trend of hypocritical preachers spreading hate. Crusade is a consequential monster that booms and heaves with every fiery note.
Opener "Dissension"'s climax comes when military-like drum rolls and booming shouts precede Brendan Garone's closing spewing: "Just because you say it doesn't make it fucking right. / Just because you're stronger doesn't mean I won't fight." He means it metaphorically, of course.
While the band backing him plays smart, heavy hardcore that carefully nods to `90s beasts like Trial, Strife and One King Down, Garone's vocals are more in line with Snapcase's Daryl Taberski or a more developed Tom Sheehan (Indecision).
The band also know that throwing in a clever change or two makes things more interesting (see "Sacramentum" for one). "Fuck Your Beliefs" slows down at one point to a more ominous and restrained pace so that guest Jeff Tiu (formerly of the Backup Plan and This Is Hell) can howl "rebuild the wall!" before an uncompromising resolution.
The redux of "Antichrist," originally off their demo, is one of Crusade's best, with punctual lyric delivery and a huge pause in the middle, accented by Dan Lomeli's place-setting drum roll and a big buildup to the epic, though concise, finish.
Though the recording is great, I was never a big fan of the "fade-out-completely-only-to-fade-back-in" trick, which dulls the momentum of the crunchy finish for closer "The Streets Bring Only Blank Stares."
While just shy of greatness, Crusade is a seriously dense and inspired debut. Already a Long Island favorite, hopefully other areas begin to take notice while the band plots their next, imaginably advanced, musical move.