Album Review: Hopeless - 'Human'

When I first saw Melbourne hardcore phenomenon Hopeless opening for the Amity Affliction tour in late 2009, they instantly struck a chord with their impressive yet modest stage performance and their bleak take on melodic hardcore. Human is their second studio release which was once again recorded with Drew Parsons at 3 Phase Studios and was released through iconic Australian hardcore label Trial And Error.

The production is gritty and grim but retains an extremely crisp snare sound from the drums. The lyrical content as well as the themes generally discussed in Human is easy for the punter to relate too, and cover a broad spectrum of the struggles most of us go through on a daily basis which really hones in on the listener.

Warehouse is a clear star on the record which all the other songs provide a suitable foundation for. It has elements that will appeal to all fans of hardcore (while not being limited to), including hard-hitting metallic breakdowns, a monstrously epic closing chorus all the while holding onto a certain tough edge most bands are unable to nut. Heat is a close second listening favourite, exhibiting some of the more prominent melodic riffing than the other tracks.

The only downside I could really find with this release is the extremely short running time coming in at a touch under 15 minutes. Thankfully the standout tracks are strong enough to receive a solid thrashing before becoming excessively tired. After the successful reception Dear World received coupled with this outstanding 7” offering I can’t see why Hopeless would not be able to establish them as an international class heavy band, or maybe they already have?

As far as I know this 7” has been out of print for a while, but there are two tracks up on the bands myspace and the record can no doubt be found on the almighty internet. Do yourself a kindness though and buy their older CD and merch so they can afford to get on the road more frequently, bands like this should not be taken for granted.

1. Decades

2. Warehouse

3. Human

4. Heat

5. Feel