Album Review: Time Has Come/Trainwreck/Out Cold/Change Today/Queen City Crew - 'The End Begins Now - Split CD'

'The End Begins Now' is a five way international hardcore split CD featuring five bands from four different countries each contributing three new songs to the record. What a great sense of worldwide unity found all in the one disc. It would be surprising if you new every single band featured so this split give you the chance to discover some new hardcore from all around the globe.

Things kick off with Brisbane’s very own Time Has Come whose last release, the eight-track ‘Disaster Zone,’ came out in 2009, so some new music is well overdue. The band kick things off the way a hardcore split should be kicked off, brutally, with chugging guitars and death growls that quickly change to fast paced beats and screams in Undefeated. The pace quickens for Money, Greed And Hatred before the finest of the band’s offerings, Eat Your Words, which is driven by its lead guitar riffs.

Next up to the plate, and keeping it on the home turf, is Melbourne’s Trainwreck who open with the blistering Charlatans, Charlatans which features Leigh Anthony’s cleaner vocal screams. Things get a little bit more aggressive in the fast paced Home which opens up to a groove heavy chorus before the band’s standout The Devil’s Blues which offers moments of melody and a charismatic guitar performance.

Next we head overseas to New Zealand (which we usually claim as our own anyway) for Out Cold who begin with All Heart. There is always going to be a difference in production values on a split CD but it is most noticeable in this change with Out Cold’s sound not having as much body or punch as its predecessors. That aside the band offer an intense ride with the bass driven Six Feet Under and the relentless Be The Exception. Hardcore music is not well known for it’s variance but Out Cold’s offerings are a little hard to tell apart.

We then jump to the other side of the world for America’s Change Today who are following up on last years ‘Survival EP.’ Whilst it is always good to hear of new bands Change Today are not a group that I would go out of my way to hear again, their offerings are fairly uninteresting with vocalist Colin Mcardle putting up a less than inspired performance. The highlight of their three tracks would be Alex Barras drumming in Cheated, but even that is just picking the best of an average bunch.

The split ends with Queen City Crew from the Philippines, who feature the worst production values but best guitar riffs. It may just seem that way as the guitars seem to be the standout driving factor of their three tracks, mix wise and song wise, but the songs are fun, aggressive little numbers nonetheless.

It is interesting to see the different interpretations of the hardcore sound from all over the world and a five way split hardcore CD is a great idea as it offers a variance that most records in the genre usually don’t. As for which of the five acts comes out as the finest, well, best not to say and maintain world hardcore peace.

Time Has Come
1. Undefeated
2. Money, Greed And Hatred
3. Eat Your Words

Trainwreck
1. Charlatans, Charlatans
2. Home
3. The Devil's Blues

Out Cold
1. All Heart
2. Six Feet Under
3. Be The Exception

Change Today
1. Meaningless
2. Slips Away
3. Cheated

Queen City Crew
1. Cursed Love
2. No Place For The Isincere
3. Not Alone