Awesome album from our first American signing, Indiana hardcore quintet In The Face Of War that packs a 13 song punch including 2 exclusive Australian bonus tracks! Passionate hardcore for fans of Bane, MLIW and Gallows.
Pressing:
500 x CDs : OUT OF STOCK
REVIEWS:
World’s Appreciated Kitsch [Greece]
IN THE FACE OF WAR – We Make Our Own Luck
A fucking great release by the infamous Pee Records, based in Adelaide | Australia. This is actually a re-release, Australian special one, of ‘We make our own luck’ with 2 bonus tracks and an awesome artwork of the 2006 edition (originally released by Detournement Records). In The Face of War come from Indiana, USA, and exist since 2001, if I’m right… If you are into Bane, Have Heart, Modern Life Is War, Verse, Ruiner, Blacklisted, This Is Hell, Comeback Kid, but you also like a bit the youth crew style and some Youth Of Today tunes, then you should definitely check out this release. I mean, YOU SHOULD! You know the deal I guess. Deathwish / Bridge 9 inspired hardcore taking influences from the past. But these dudes have something special that makes their music unique, I dunno how to describe it; you have to listen to the songs asap! Fast, in your face, passionate hardcore, fueled with melodic riffs (sometimes technical I dare to say, 3 guitarists, wtf?), screaming vocals, sing-alongs and an emotional edge for all you modern hardcore scenesters! Read the lyrics, too, they are not your typical one, for sure. They already have a new release out, ‘Everything you heard is true’ by Init Records. I haven’t listened to any new songs, though. Fuck… this is great.
Lights Go Out Zine #5 [UK]
IN THE FACE OF WAR – We Make Our Own Luck
Amazing hardcore outta Indiana via an Aussie label. The songs are heavy punching with sweet vocals. It’s for fans of Verse, Ruiner and Have Heart. Seriously f+cking impressive stuff, another one of those bands who I’d really like to see play live. This is well worth your time checking out, so do it!
Review by: Mr.T
BLUNT Issue #70
IN THE FACE OF WAR – We Make Our Own Luck
Forget trends, forget fashion – neither apply here. Instead, In The Face Of War come off like a mid-’90s hardcore band, the kind not interested in any Rockstar Taste Of Chaos tours, but whose dedication to their art seeps through every note on this, their third album. Indeed you need only look at the lyrics to “Lost Heart” to see that: “We will never lose our passion / There’s so much out there worth fighting for / And so much right here worth dying for”. Originality may not be the name of the game – the likes of Bane were doing this long before In The Face Of War formed seven years ago – but when there’s so much passion on display, sometimes that’s all you need.
Rating: 7 / 10 – Review by: Rod Yates
SicZine.com
IN THE FACE OF WAR – We Make Our Own Luck
It’s not often that I am able to revisit an album that I have reviewed but I was afforded the opportunity to do so when Pete over at Pee Records decided to re-release In The Face of War’s last full length. After giving a few more listens to “We Make Our Own Luck” and reading my review I felt pretty much the same about the record. The album is essentially the same; the songs were not re-recorded or mastered or anything, however, the CD comes in some sweet new packaging (even though the last packaging effort was also top notch), along with new unreleased tracks. Instead of a thick booklet filled with loads of band shots you get a cool looking six-panel foldout booklet that is loaded with different colors, a snake, and club suits throughout on the one side with the lyrics printed on the other side. I can probably go out on a limb here and say this is the best band to ever come out of Kokomo, Indiana but I have been wrong in the past. They are a passionate melodic hardcore band that features 6 members which include 3 guitarist. Why they could possibly need 3 guitarist is beyond me. They say Vegan on their myspace which I don’t understand because they have a picture inside the booklet of one of the members eating Taco Bell, and even if it is devoid of meat, it is still absolutely the furthest thing from Veganism. Well, either way they have released a demo, split with The Bowels of Judas, a full length titled “Live Forever or Die Trying”, and another album titled “Self Reliance is Self Destruction”. Even though it seems like the whole melodic hardcore thing has seen a huge resurgence as of late, these guys play the style well. At moments they reminded me of a stripped down version of Passion, especially the vocals at times. They keep things fast to mid paced for the most part with a lot of melodic undercurrents throughout. It’s definitely nothing innovative but like I said these guys do it pretty damn good. The 11 songs usually stick around the 1:45-2:30 mark, it gives you enough time to get into the songs without getting bored too fast because lets face it, things can get boring fast with this style of hardcore without the proper song writing and energy. I enjoyed the recording on this one. It had enough polish without taking away from the bands energy and intensity. The guitars sound good, although I couldn’t even tell there were three of them. The bass had a fair amount of presence with a treble rich tone. The drums sounded solid. The vocals were mixed in very nicely. Really slick DIY inspired layout that was not only crafted ingeniously designed to show all the materials needed to design to actual layout of the album. It shows the stencils, the markers, paint, etc., that was used to make it. This one has a really thick booklet that has tons of photos of the band in live settings and just fucking around on the road. Each song has it’s own page for the lyrics. Considering this is the labels first release, they went all out with this one. Songs Worthy of Replay: Who Will Be There And Revival. Synopsis: I still feel the same about the record, the old songs are still enjoyable to listen to. Like I said, the first version had a really nice layout, as does this, though I would say this version is a bit more eye catching. Even though I wasn’t digging the two new tracks I kept the score the same because you still get all the old stuff and the new songs are just an added bonus; if you don’t like them you can skip them, and if you do, that’s even more reason for you to purchase this version.
Rating: 3.8 / 5
Geekburger.com
IN THE FACE OF WAR – We Make Our Own Luck
I’m not too familiar with In the Face of War’s back catalog, but I’ve heard enough to know that they haven’t always sounded like this. If they did, I would remember.
On We Make Our Own Luck, the band takes a sharp turn down Melodic Hardcore Avenue, using their well established musical know-how and youthful energy to write songs that are as catchy as they are brazenly aggressive. While the record overflows with ripping drumming, blistering chord progressions and throat-shredding, in-your-face vocals, it’s rather accessible, much in the way This Is Hell’s full-length debut, Sundowning, is accessible. Between the brisk guitar melodies and leads, occasional pit-friendly breakdown and tastefully huge sing-alongs, most of the record’s tracks have something memorable to latch onto. The second song, “Conversation,” is a real doosie, especially when the band bursts into a slick, rocked-out breakdown after the music cuts and Ben Sutton screams “Only in my — MIND!” The melodic, double bass-fueled sing-along at the end of “Second Homes” is chilling — a perfect match for the vein-popping screaming. Taking things a step further, In the Face of War incorporates a lot of tempo shifts and angular guitar layers into We Make Our Own Luck. The band never gets lost in their experimentation or busyness, though; the record is concise and precise, but still more complex than the average hardcore effort. Sutton’s lyrics are versed to be memorable and rally crowds, but that doesn’t detract from their substance. Without getting too attached to one theme, he uses a personal approach to support living with a forward-thinking mindset, conviction and passion, and one’s own set of standards. I’m especially fond of his coming-of-age realizations in “Who Will Be There,” as they come across as entirely heartfelt and real, as well as something most anyone can understand. Sutton even wrote “Second Homes” as a “thank you” to all of the places that have hosted the group, and it’s certainly believable. We Make Our Own Luck was one of 2006’s final flares of life. And make no mistake, it was a bright flare, loaded with energy, personality, feeling and urgency. In the Face of War may have left their sound of yore in the dust with this effort, but there’s simply no denying that the band’s new incarnation is the better one.
Rating: 8 / 10 – Review by: Andrew Haak
RELEASE DATE:
05 March 2008
Also Available From:
CREDITS:
CAT #: PCD021
Tracks 1 – 11 Produced by:
Joel Lauver @ Burning Bridge Recordings
Mastered at: Prairioeat
Tracks 12 & 13 Produced by:
CJ Dutton @ Volume Ballroom Recordings
Mastered by: Craig Lewis
Artwork by: Pete Pee
