Tightly wound and fiercely aggressive - Berthold City's debut EP pays homage to the traditional hardcore of yesterday while at the same time elevating the style and avoiding the tired nostalgia of so many of their peers.

The band's pedigree is impressive, featuring current and former members of World Be Free, Allegiance, Internal Affairs, Final Fight, and Strife. But even without their above average roster, Berthold City's approach is noteworthy. Moment of Truth is six tracks of undiluted, lyrically positive, issue-conscious hardcore fury in the vein of Judge, In My Eyes, and Carry On. No fat, no filler - just a battering ram of moshable riffs and chest-thumping sing-a-longs.

Released on vocalist Andrew Kline's WAR Records, Moment of Truth includes the three tracks from Berthold City's 2017 demo (sans the Gang Starr intro). And that's really the only nitpick I can come up with: I just wish there were more new songs. But with this kind of momentum, I doubt we'll have to wait long to hear more from Berthold City.